Exclusive: Russian officials must end war or find bomb shelters, Zelensky says
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NEW YORK — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told "The Axios Show" that if Russia won't end the war, officials working in the Kremlin should make sure they know where the nearest bomb shelter is.
Why it matters: Zelensky said he had President Trump's explicit backing to hit Russian targets like energy infrastructure and arms factories. And he said that if Ukraine gets additional long-range weaponry from the U.S., "we will use it."
Driving the news: Zelensky told Axios' Barak Ravid he made one particular request of Trump when the two leaders met on Tuesday — a new weapons system he said would force Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table.
- Zelensky said he would name the system once the cameras were off, adding that Trump told him: "We will work on it."
- The Ukrainian president sat down with Axios in Manhattan on Wednesday night, immediately before departing the UN General Assembly for Kyiv.
What he's saying: Zelensky said Ukraine would not bomb civilians because "we are not terrorists." But he suggested the centers of Russian power, like the Kremlin, were very much on the table.
- "They have to know where the bomb shelters are," Zelensky said of Kremlin officials. "They need it. If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case."
- "They have to know that we in Ukraine, each day, we will answer. If they attack us, we will answer them."
Zoom in: Zelensky said that during their meeting the day before, Trump brought up the fact that Ukraine should answer Russian strikes tit for tat.
- "If they attack our energy, President Trump supports that we can answer on energy," Zelensky said.
- Trump said the same about drone factories or missile sites, though those are well defended, Zelensky said.
The intrigue: He noted that Ukraine already has drones that can strike deep inside Russia, but he also said there was an additional weapons system he wanted that would hasten the end of the war.
- "President Trump knows, I [told] him yesterday what we need, one thing."
- "We need it, but it doesn't mean that we will use it," he continued. "Because if we'll have it, I think it's additional pressure on Putin to sit and speak."
What to watch: There's much more to come from this interview. The full episode will air Friday.
