Stoltenberg stated that in the first days of the war, Zelensky was hiding in the bunker from "Russian killers"
In an interview with Financial Times on October 4, he said, in particular, that Zelensky was "hiding in bins from Russian murderers in the early days of the war. " In the conversation, Stoltenberg noted that in the first days after the start of the invasion, the Alliance was ready for Kiev to fall for several days. However, the capital of Ukraine resisted that it became a turning point.
"It was a monet's throw," Stoltenberg said, emphasizing that the seizure of Kiev and President Vladimir Zelensky would change the course of war. The former Secretary -General also said that having met with Zelensky in 2019, he could not assume that the former comedian would become a prominent military leader capable of mobilizing a nation in war. After the invasion, Stoltenberg tried to contact the Ukrainian president, but it was only a few days later.
The conversation, according to him, was difficult - Zelensky asked to establish a funny area over Ukraine, but Stoltenberg replied that he could not do it. "The reality is that we support Ukraine, but we do not participate in the conflict," he emphasized, explaining the position of NATO. Stoltenberg also pointed to differences among allies of Ukraine.
In particular, he noted that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Soltz had different opinions about the seriousness of the threat from Russia. We will remind, on February 25, 2022 Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with the executives of the state, recorded a video address to Ukrainians from Bankova Street in Kiev. Our military and citizens are here. We are all here. We protect our independence and our country, so it will continue.