Zelensky

In its spread, the phrase 'I need ammunition, not a ride' accomplished three expressions at once: showing the domestic audience the determination not to flee, signaling to Russia that no government-in-exile would be established, and turning the request to the West from humanitarian evacuation into military aid.

Many European leaders also offered Zelensky evacuation assistance in the early days of the conflict, indicating that the evacuation offer was not unique to the US side.

By refusing to evacuate, Zelensky in effect negated the premise of Russia's political script of installing a pro-Russian regime and framing the Kyiv authorities as a 'foreign force', showing the West that the Kyiv government was still operating on its own territory.

When responding to Biden's evacuation offer in the call, Zelensky said: 'I need ammunition, not a ride.'

In the early days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Biden was the first leader to call Zelensky to ask whether he needed to be evacuated.

Zelensky said that at the start of the war the Ukrainian army was far too small to cover all front lines, and that an army of 800,000 personnel would be needed for defense.

Zelensky said that after the full-scale invasion began, a mobilization wave emerged in Ukraine, with people lining up to sign up for military service.

Zelensky said Russia committed about 200,000 troops toward Kyiv on the first day of the full-scale invasion.

Zelensky said Ukraine's main forces were concentrated in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the early stage of the war.

Zelensky said Ukraine did not anticipate that Russian forces would advance toward Kyiv via Belarus.

Zelensky described Ukraine's misjudgment of the Russian army's main attack direction as "an absolute fact."

Zelensky said Russia's total force across all directions on Ukrainian territory is about 700,000 personnel.

Zelensky believes the Russian army withdrew because it did not have enough forces to sustain the occupation, not out of goodwill.

Zelensky said Ukrainian strikes caused the Russian army to fall back, thereby recapturing Kyiv Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast and the entire front line.

All force figures in the text (200,000, 800,000, 700,000) come from Zelensky's unilateral statements and lack cross-verification by independent sources.

The video of Zelensky's interview is circulating on YouTube.

In the interview, Zelensky described the moment the missiles fell as "a moment of absolute terror," when he was in a bunker built inside his office.

Zelensky said goodbye to his family on the day the war broke out, telling his wife and children "I love you, I'll call you" before leaving.

Zelensky described what he saw in Bucha as "slaughtered meat."

After Bucha was liberated, Zelensky went to the site and saw bodies everywhere, including children, adults, and the elderly, some with their hands bound and buried in pits after being tortured.