Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine: We will not lose this war

“We stand and fight for survival. We are an independent state. We will definitely not lose this war”

Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s International Editor, speaks to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview marking the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine war.

Official figures put the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed at 55,000 since the full-scale Russian invasion began, but that is believed to be an underestimate, with many more missing. The number of Russian soldiers killed is believed to be much higher. The civilian death toll in Ukraine stands at more then 14,000.

Repeated attempts at a peace deal have failed.

In the face of ongoing Russian aggression, President Zelensky remains defiant. Russia has started the Third World War, he says, and must not be allowed to win.

Thank you to Imogen Anderson and Jeremy Bowen for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Jeremy Bowen Producers: Imogen Anderson and Lucy Sheppard Editors: Justine Lang and Damon Rose

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(Image: Volodymyr Zelensky Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images)