EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Zelensky Discusses Sanctions on Russia

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I trust Ukrainian intelligence in our territory who understand what’s going on along our borders, who have different intelligent sources and understand different risk based on intercepted data. We are not really living in delusion. We understand what can happen tomorrow. But maybe the comparison I will make is not good, but just putting ourselves in coffins and waiting for foreign soldiers to come in is not something we are prepared to do. We are not going to advance on anyone, but we stand ready for — to respond to everything. We cannot remain passive. We cannot say on a daily basis that war will happen tomorrow. What kind of state is it going to be? What kind of economy is it going to be? How can you live in a state when on a daily basis you are being told tomorrow the war will happen, tomorrow the advance will happen? It means crushing national currency, money is being taken out, business flying out. Can you live in that kind of country? Can you have stability in that kind of country? No. And those who want to disbalance our country from within are multiple. And everyone wants Ukraine to be weak, weak economy, weak army. And if there’s a weak army, you can just go ahead and invade, and we won’t be able to protect our people, not our children or the economy. This is why are response is very calm to one piece of information or the other. We have to assess it. Strengthen our arms. Give us more armaments. Strengthen our economy. Invest in our country. Bring your business in. If you are afraid, OK, give us cheap financing. Give us support, finance, grant support. We had a discussion some time ago with one of the leaders of one of the leading countries. And we were talking about the sanction policy. We had a different vision on how sanctions should be applied when Russian aggression will happen. And we are being told that you have several days and then the war will start. And I said, OK, then apply the sanctions today. Yes, they say, we apply sanctions when the war will happen. I’m saying, fine, but you are telling me that it’s 100 percent that the war will start in a couple days. Then what are you waiting for? We don’t need your sanctions after the bombardment will happen and after our country will be fired at, or after we will have no borders, after we will have no economy or part of our countries will be occupied. Why would we need sanctions then? What is this about? So, when you’re asking what can be done, well, lots of different things can be done. We can even provide you the list. The most important is willingness.