Ukraine’s Zelenskyy improvises mid-flight to get his message out on a whirlwind European trip

KYIV Ukraine AP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no time to hold a traditional news conference during a whirlwind -hour trip across Europe this week so he improvised For the first time since Russia s full-scale invasion of his country Zelenskyy who usually takes reporters questions in person while trotting the globe communicated with the news media via group chat While flying between London and Brussels he answered a long list of questions from Ukrainian and international reporters relaying audio clips on WhatsApp His chosen mode of communication was if not unprecedented at the very least extremely rare for a world leader The low drone of the aircraft blended with his hoarse tired-sounding voice yet his message cut through clearly Amid uncertain negotiations to end the war Ukraine he reported cannot surrender land Undoubtedly Russia insists for us to give up territories he noted in a crackling message late Monday According to the law we don t have such a right and to be frank we don t have a moral right either Shifting diplomatic terrain With the outlook for negotiations changing by the day Zelenskyy s association set out on a jam-packed schedule to shore up backing in Europe Zelenskyy met the leaders of Britain Germany and France in London and the heads of NATO and the European Union in Brussels before traveling on to Rome for talks with the Italian prime minister and Pope Leo XIV A key issue being discussed is whether Ukraine should cede Russian occupied territory in return for safety guarantees but the talks have been complicated by uncertainty about the Trump administration s commitment to European prevention The stakes of staying seen Since the start of the war Zelenskyy has shown a desire to communicate in real-time in whatever way is necessary When Kyiv came under siege shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Zelenskyy tried to reassure the residents through what appeared to be a cellphone video with three top executives perhaps his best-known address We are all here he announced at the time Our soldiers are here the citizens of our country are all here protecting our independence and we are going to continue to do so Since then Zelenskyy has made frequent communication a strategic priority in a sleep-defying cycle of video messages remote speeches to Western parliaments and conferences late-night posts and high-security residents appearances Monday night s WhatsApp exchange wound down as his plane landed in Brussels just before he was whisked into his next round of meetings He urged reporters How did you like this format If it works for you then when we have the opportunity we ll share our thoughts and decisions this way again Source