Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that he does not believe the word leaders who say “never again” to genocide but then do nothing to assist him in repelling Russian occupation forces from his country.
Zelensky sat for an interview with Tapper, who is on location in Lviv, Ukraine — and portions of that interview aired during Easter Sunday’s broadcast of “State of the Union.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr @ZelenskyyUa tells CNN's @jaketapper in an exclusive interview in Kyiv that he doesn't believe the "Never Again" promise from the world. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/nem0fmFwEo
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) April 17, 2022
“You lost ancestors in the Holocaust. Every year on Holocaust Remembrance Day, politicians put out statements that say, ‘Never again, never again,'” Tapper said after sharing video of some of the atrocities allegedly committed by Russian invaders in places like Bucha. “Those statements must seem really hollow right now to you. When the world says never again, do they ever mean it?”
“I don’t believe the world, after we’ve seen what’s going on in Ukraine. I don’t believe to this feeling that we should believe, some countries or some leaders. We don’t believe the words,” Zelensky replied in English. “After escalation of Russia, we don’t believe our neighbors. We don’t believe all of this.”
“Even I don’t believe documents because we also had the Budapest Memorandum. I think you know all the details of this. For me, that is just a piece of paper, and costs nothing, and that’s it,” Zelensky said referencing the agreement that bound Russia — in addition to the United Kingdom and the United States — to assist in defending Ukraine on the condition that they give up the nuclear arsenal left behind after the fall of the Soviet Union.
“So we just believe pragmatic things. If you are our friends or partners, give us weapons, give us hands, support us, give us money and stop Russia, kick Russia,” Zelensky added. “You can do it if you’re a friend.”
A translator assisted with the remainder of Zelensky’s response, adding, “The only belief there is is belief in ourselves, in our people, belief in our armed forces and the belief that countries are going to support us, not just with their words, but with their actions, and that’s it. Really, everybody is talking about this, and yet, as you can see, not everyone has got the guts.”
Tapper had previously made a similar point on his show while speaking with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, as reported by The Daily Wire:
“I’m not advocating for any specific action one way or another. I do have to wonder how the international community, including the U.S., decides what kind of wholesale killing necessitates direct military intervention and what kind doesn’t,” Tapper said. “Because every year on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I read these statements from world leaders that say, ‘Never again.’ What exactly are they saying ‘never again’ to?”