Yes of course. You need to understand that corruption unfortunately exists everywhere. The question is how politicians fight corruption, to what extent the fight is consistent with the rules and whether it is a real or political fight. You say that these people are “close allies” of President Zelensky. Do you know that at the beginning, when President Zelensky won the elections, the same people said that he was very close to the oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi [oskarżanego o korupcję]. Now Kolomoisky is in prison — and during Zelensky's term.
The president has made it very clear: for him there are no untouchables who are involved in corruption or crimes. He is a very principled person. First, he is not corrupt himself. And this is very important – a leader who announces the fight against corruption must himself be incorruptible. I think his statement was very clear right away. Everything that is happening today is completely independent investigation. This shows that all these institutions are independent and operational.
People mention me and try – sometimes without evidence – to attribute something to me that I have no idea about. I think you have to know the president — his principles and his life. Let's not forget that he came to power already a very successful, wealthy and famous man. He didn't build his career in this building – he built it before. Sometimes in all democratic countries there is a presumption of innocence. I think that should be respected. But anyone with even the slightest fault must be held accountable.
What should happen to the people who were part of the scandal and corrupted this country?
Of course, those involved cannot remain in power. But it is imperative that this is based on facts and not manipulation. Just look at how the campaign against President Zelensky started in 2019: with the same things. “A friend of Kolomoisky. He is close to Kolomoisky.” But Kolomoisky is in prison. Let's look at the facts. This is very important. The president is a very honest and open person.
I want to understand well. Do you think this is all a political campaign against Zelensky's friends or people, or even against you?
Let's wait until this investigation ends. Some political forces are definitely taking advantage of this. I see it. Absolutely. And please don't forget that there is still a war going on. And of course Russia takes advantage of this. You can see comments from Russian propagandists who say: “Look, we are not destroying energy infrastructure, they have problems themselves.” It's immediately exploited and sometimes it's hard to understand who started it in the first place. I think we simply need clear, open investigations — ones that can legally be made public. What cannot be made public should not be made public because using information too early destroys people's reputations.
Ukraine still attacks targets located deep in Russia with dronesespecially the oil industry. To what extent do you plan to expand these attacks – what is Ukraine's goal in these strikes?
Ukraine responds to the enemy as Russia attacks our energy and civilian infrastructure. There is one fundamental difference: Ukraine never attacks civilians. Russia, on the other hand, is attacking hospitals, attacking kindergartens, and especially attacking energy infrastructure, because before the winter period it wants our citizens to live in terrible conditions. Of course, our armed forces respond. And we will continue to do so. It is important to understand that we are responding with Ukrainian weapons. Unfortunately, this is not enough, because Russia is a large country.
There is still a lack of weapons needed to attack drone and missile production plants in Russia – rockets, cruise missiles. So far, there are no American missiles Tomahawk nor German cruise missiles Taurus. Do you still hope for deliveries of these weapons from the West?
Of course. I remember that we almost always started with our partners and they told us: “It's difficult” or “It's impossible.” And then, after some time, we found solutions – and we are very grateful to our partners, our friends, who supported us throughout the large-scale Russian invasion. Yes, I hope that in the end our arguments will prevail and we will start receiving more much-needed weapons to attack military and energy targets.
On the front, Russia continues to gain territories the size of Munich every month. Ukrainian strongholds, especially in the east of the country, are currently under strong pressure. Can you confirm the reports that the city Pokrovsk is under Russian control?
No, no, that's not true. This is Russian propaganda. We've been hearing this propaganda for over a year now. I think people need to analyze the information and understand that Russians are some of the biggest liars in the world. The Russian propaganda machine operates continuously. The situation on the front is difficult, but Russia is not achieving any significant successes. Yes, they are moving forward, they don't care about the number of victims. In Russia, a person's life costs nothing. I'm not sure Putin even realizes how many of his people have died. I am sure that the Russian population does not know the actual data on losses and is ready to sacrifice even more.
Does this mean that you will fight for Pokrovsk? Don't you see the risk of encircling Ukrainian soldiers?
From what I know from our military, no. The situation is very difficult. Now, of course, our heroes understand the strategic importance of these frontline areas. President Zelensky and I know this too. A week ago we visited these areas and met with brigade commanders. We met with the commander-in-chief, General Syrski. The president is personally very committed to all these issues. He knows the names of all brigade commanders. And we have over 100 brigades. Of course, we will see how the situation develops, but from what I know, yes, we maintain this position, we stand.
Destruction in Pokrovsk, November 12, 2025.Dmytro Smolenko / AFP
The lack of soldiers on the front is currently the main problem of the Ukrainian army. Some in the West were surprised by a law change a few months ago that saw the Ukrainian government allow men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country. Why did you do this?
We do not have mandatory mobilization for this age group. The Ukrainian government received many applications because many young people study abroad and decided to offer this opportunity.
Vitali Klitschko was in Berlin this week and in an interview with the editor-in-chief of “Die Welt”, Jan Philipp Burgard, he said that Ukraine should lower the draft age to 22 or 23. Is the Ukrainian government planning such a step?
I have known Vitali Klitschko for many years. He is a great person, a great athlete, the mayor of Kiev, but he is not the defense minister. It's easy to say something that may sound nice to some, but you have to look at the big picture. I cannot confirm that this is currently under discussion. Our problem is not a lack of people. Our problem is the lack of the most important things – weapons and ammunition.
Relations with the US remain important for Ukraine's survival. There are reports that President Trump put pressure in the White House on President Zelensky to accept Russia's terms.
That's not true. I can say that the relationship between President Zelensky and President Trump is very good. They speak the same language. They are partners and talk like friends. This does not mean that they agree on all issues, but they have the opportunity to have a very honest and friendly discussion on all topics. I'm sure President Trump is a special person. He is an exceptional leader who can really end this war because Russia is afraid of him, because Putin is afraid of him.
The question remains how this war can end. President Zelensky has already expressed his readiness to implement a freeze on the current front lines – in line with President Trump's proposal. Do you see any signs of an end to this war on the Russian side in the near future?
I don't see it at the moment. Russia will only be ready for real negotiations if it finds itself in a disadvantageous situation. We must stay on the current line of conflict and conclude a truce. Of course, we will never accept Ukraine's neutrality. We will also not accept a reduction in our armed forces. This is one of the most important security guarantees. We need strong, legally binding security guarantees from our partners. Then we have to bring back all our people – prisoners of war, civilians, Ukrainian children. We must receive compensation, reparations and rebuild our country. We must become a member of the European Union. Of course, we are realists, we understand that we cannot regain all the territories at once, but we will never recognize the occupied areas.
