First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska gave an interview to one of the most famous American political commentators Fareed Zakaria on CNN. She told how Ukrainians live under constant Russian attacks and whether the aggressor will succeed in achieving his main goal - to intimidate and break the resistance of Ukrainian citizens.
"Having held out for almost a year, we are able to hold out even longer. Of course, no one wants it to last so long, we want it to be over. But we are able to hold out," the President's wife said.
She agreed with the host that the main goal of Russian terror is intimidation.
"One of the goals they pursue by destroying the infrastructure of Ukraine is to make people say: "We are tired, we don't want to sit in the dark anymore, we are cold, our children are sick, please stop it, let's negotiate so that they stop bombing us." They did not achieve this goal," Olena Zelenska emphasized.
The First Lady also told the American audience how Ukrainian children react to the war.
"Our children can distinguish the sound when a missile flies, when a drone flies and when our air defense works. I am sure that no child in the world should know this. Our children grow up too early, and this is perhaps the most difficult thing emotionally - to see children with the eyes of an adult," she said.
The President's wife also told how she creates emotional stability for her children: "We also try to maintain normality in the family: mom goes to work, children study. And it supports us. Studying is what keeps us together, what does not let us sit down and give up".
The First Lady stressed the importance for parents to convey the value of education to their children when they do not understand why they should make efforts to study now. "It is worth telling the child that you have a brilliant future, you have to bring it closer. And even by studying you bring the victory closer. Because Ukraine needs smart, educated people to defend it," Olena Zelenska said.