The economic fallout from the war in Ukraine is tough on the country's allies, the country's First Lady Olena Zelenska says in a new interview. At the same time, it is important to keep pointing out the human toll of war.
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska recalled the human cost of war in her country amid debate over rising consumer prices in Europe. "While you start counting the pennies in your account or in your pocket, let's do the same and count our victims," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's wife said in a BBC interview scheduled to air in full on Sunday .
The 44-year-old said that the stories of the people fleeing the war or even losing their lives and their faces should be known all over the world. "Not the number of bombs dropped or the sums spent, but human stories - and there are thousands of them." Zelenska further said that if support for Ukraine was strong, the crisis would be shorter.
Among other things, the interview asked Olena Selenska what message she had for Brits, who are facing soaring energy bills, partly due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its associated impact on global gas and oil prices. "I understand that the situation is very difficult. But I would like to remind you that at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still affecting us, Ukraine was also affected by price increases," Zelenska said. "Prices are also rising in Ukraine. But on top of that, our people are being killed."
About her husband's journey from actor to war president, Selenska said she was offended when people wondered about it. "He's the same man I've always known." She rarely sees her husband, but they talk to each other every day. Volodymyr Zelenskyj and his wife have known each other since they were students, have been married since 2003 and have two children together.
