ZELENSKYY OPENS UP ABOUT THE WAR

What do you say to your family when you don't know if you'll ever see them again?

In February 2022, he turned to his wife and children and told them the war had begun. He then left, not knowing what the coming hours would bring or when he'd see them again.

This is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Before entering politics, he had built a successful career in Ukrainian television as a writer, producer and performer, even portraying a president in a popular TV series. In 2019, he was elected President of Ukraine, and for nearly five years, he has led his country through Russia's full-scale invasion.

Sitting down for this conversation at such a consequential moment was both surreal and an enormous responsibility. It was a rare opportunity to hear firsthand, what it's like to lead a country through war, from the moment the invasion began to the decisions that continue to shape millions of lives.

We discussed things like:

- The moment he found out Russia had invaded. - Why he refused an offer to evacuate Kyiv. - The 64 km convoy of Russian military vehicles advancing towards the capital. - How Russian forces attempted to capture a key airport. - His account of discovering hundreds of bodies after Russian occupation. - What he believes it will take to bring the war to an end.

But I also wanted to understand how he was coping with everything he'd experienced.

One of the first questions I asked him was simply how he was doing. His answer was, "It's hard.”

He went on to describe meeting parents whose children had been killed in the war. Some, he explained, simply asked him for a hug.

And as he spoke, there were tears in his eyes.

Whatever your views on the war or the decisions made by those involved, hearing President Zelenskyy describe what he's experienced, the choices he's faced, and what he believes it will take to achieve peace offers a perspective that goes far beyond the headlines.

Because behind every map, every headline and every political decision, there are real people.

Out now on all platforms ❤️👊🏾