Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that because of the war with Russia, he did not have much time for his children and labelled himself as "not the best father". He said that his duty was his choice during the war.
Speaking to Sky News, he said, "During the war, I'm not the best father... because I don't have too much time for my children."
He added, "I'm the president of Ukraine, I don´t compare my job... because my choice... is duty. My choice is Ukraine. That's why I said I'm no good father during the war."
Zelensky said that Russia launched 420 drones and 39 missiles hours before US and Ukrainian envoys held more talks in Geneva on ending the war that is now in its fifth year.
The bombardment, which included 11 ballistic missiles, targeted critical infrastructure and residential areas across eight regions of Ukraine, Zelensky said. Dozens of people, including children, were injured, officials said, though authorities did not immediately publish a confirmed total.
Harshest Winter For Ukraine
He praised the work of civilians and said that there were "phenomenal people" who repaired power supplies during a "very difficult" winter. He claimed that this was the harshest winter faced by the Ukrainian people, with temperatures reaching minus 30 degrees.
"But it doesn't matter, day or night, because if you don't have heating, it's difficult during the day, during the night... because minus 30 is so difficult, [a] big challenge for our people," he said.
He spoke about the sacrifices made by Ukrainian people to keep the electricity on for everyone. "Also with civilians, who are really very helpful during this war... we had absolutely heroic teams who renovated electricity, energy system and also we had losses because they did it [repairs] under missile attacks," he said.
Where Talks Are Headed
Zelensky said late Wednesday he had spoken by phone with US President Donald Trump and thanked him for his "efforts and engagement" in pursuing peace negotiations.
The US-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv are continuing but are deadlocked on the issue of Ukrainian territory that Russia claims as its own.
Zelensky has pushed for a summit with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, saying a face-to-face meeting could be decisive in unlocking an agreement, but the Kremlin has rebuffed that proposal beyond inviting the Ukrainian president to Moscow, which Zelensky refused.
