In the wake of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes American President Joe Biden should also visit the war-torn country and see firsthand the results of Russia’s aggression.
Zelensky offered his opinion during an in-person onscreen interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
During the interview, Zelensky slipped in and out of his native dialect, but spoke plain English when talking about why he thought Biden should make the trip.
“I think he will, but it’s his decision of course,” Zelensky said. “And about the safety situation, it depends. But I think he’s the leader of the United States, and that’s why he should come here to see.”
Zelensky also said he agreed with Biden’s assessment of the conflict as a “genocide,” even though Biden drew a rebuke from some other world leaders for such strong rhetoric. Speaking through a translator during this portion, Zelensky referenced being in possession of “substantial evidence” of genocide.
“Audio and video, they talk about how much they hate us,” Zelensky said. “I did not even know there was such hatred of the Russian military for the Ukrainian people. They say they are going to destroy us.”
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