#expressen interview

Published 20 Aug 2023 at 23:56, updated 21 Aug at 06:14

Arne Lapidus

Olena Zelenska, wife of the President of Ukraine, talks in an emotional interview about how the family lives during the war - and how close she is to her husband Volodymyr.

- "He's my best friend, he has a fire inside him, and I believe in him 200 per cent," she says on TV4's 'Malou möter'.

Olena Zelenska and her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, work around the clock to defend and strengthen Ukraine in the war against the aggressor Russia.

During their short visit to Sweden, they experienced the Swedish summer idyll that stands in stark contrast to the suffering in their troubled homeland.

"Can't relax"

- When I sit here on the lawn, it feels peaceful, but unfortunately, it is only for a moment. Even if I get to experience nice moments, I don't allow myself to relax and feel happiness as long as there is a war in our country," Olena Zelenska tells interviewer Malou von Sivers on TV4's "Malou möter" on Sunday evening.

She talks about her commitment to children and women in Ukraine. About a four-year-old who has been raped, about women in a whole village who have been raped by Russian soldiers.

- More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been kidnapped by Russia. The most terrible thing is that we do not know where they have been taken. We have no answers, we are fighting for the return of every single child," said Ms Zelenska.

- "I hope that we can continue to develop a platform at the international level to create the conditions to bring our children home," she says.

"We are together"

She explains that her own children, a daughter aged 19 and a son aged 10, are going through the same difficulties as their peers. And she is happy that the family lives together, that they have not moved abroad despite the fact that she and her husband were targeted by the Russian attack.

- "Our daughter has finished her first year at university, our son is looking forward to meeting his friends when school starts. I am happy that we live as a family, even if they don't see their father all the time, we are together," says Olena Zelenska in "Malou möter".

She praises her husband for his efforts both as a family man and as a leader of the country.

Honouring her husband

- My husband is my best friend. He is stubborn and confident, and that gives me great hope in these times. He has a fire inside him to keep going even if he is physically tired," she says:

- "I believe in him 200 per cent. Not only because I am his wife but because we have been working together for so many years. He is the one who takes responsibility and acts when no one else dares. We can count ourselves lucky to have such a person as President.

Thanking Sweden

Ms Zelenska also expressed her gratitude for Sweden's political and military support for Ukraine.

- "We feel the support of the Swedish people since the first day of this terrible war of invasion. We hope your support will continue, we need it very much," she said on 'Malou möter on TV4'.