NPR did sit down with Zelenskyy once before — Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep spoke to him in New York in September 2023. But getting the interview in Kyiv was challenging. Zelenskyy has a background in TV — he was a popular comedian before he was elected president — so it’s a medium his office seems to prefer. Radio is a harder sell, but not impossible. So we kept trying.
Zelenskyy understands the power of communication. He posts video addresses to Ukrainians nearly every night. He regularly gives interviews to international media, holds press conferences and sometimes even responds to reporters’ questions with voice memos. We made the case that NPR is invested in this story. I live here and work with two indefatigable Ukrainian producers, Polina Lytvynova and Hanna Palamarenko. We understand better than most what Ukraine is going through.
Last weekend, we finally got a call saying that Zelenskyy would do the interview. On Monday evening, we were told the interview was set for the following afternoon. We would have 40 minutes.
Then began the mad dash with logistics. Deputy international editor Tara Neill quickly mobilized resources in Washington, D.C. Videographers Ed Mathews and Anton Shtuka and photojournalist Svet Jacqueline joined Hanna, Polina and me. We left for the president’s office two and a half hours before the interview so we could have time to get through Zelenskyy’s security and set up (Once we got inside the grounds of the presidential office, I did take a few minutes to pet the beautiful black cat who lives there, Peremoha (Victory). Zelenskyy’s security team offered to exchange her for a Patriot missile, which Ukraine constantly runs out of).
We set up in a room where Zelenskyy holds press conferences. It has high ceilings, ornate floors and a soothing painting of what looks like a Ukrainian wheat field. I’d been here several times with the press corps. I was nervous (and self-conscious) about the video. I’d never done one before. I told myself to keep focused on what was important: having a meaningful and substantive conversation with Zelenskyy.
Even within the thick walls of the presidential office, we could hear an air raid siren outside. Shortly after it faded, Zelenskyy walked in and waved. He recognized me from the press conferences and knew I lived here. One of the first things I brought up was hearing five ballistic missiles hit the night before. Zelenskyy said he heard them too. "You understand," he said.
An interpreter translated my questions into Ukrainian for Zelenskyy, though he responded in English, a language he has become increasingly fluent in. We did have a couple of lost-in-translation moments, but the interview went well. Zelenskyy was warm, funny and engaged. He always looks tired. I'm not sure when he sleeps, given his hectic schedule and the constant attacks on Kyiv. But speaking with us, he was energetic and relaxed.
Zelenskyy was careful when talking about President Trump, who often blames Ukraine, not Russia, for starting the war. There were moments when he clearly wanted to say more, but did not because it was a “sensitive question.” The conversation moved well enough that we got an extra 10 minutes |
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