President Volodymyr Zelensky told Israeli Channel 9 that Ukraine had to pressure Iran to show the remnants of the Ukrainian airplane that was downed by Iranian missile on Jan. 8, killing all 176 people on board.
In the interview, he also once again denied being pressured by the U.S. President Donald Trump, promised to do everything possible to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, and called Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk a “good car that didn’t yet reach its limit of exploitation.”
A journalist of Channel 9, which mostly broadcasts in Russian, took the interview in Kyiv on the eve of Zelensky’s trip to Israel on Jan. 23, where he participated in commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
On plane crash in Iran
Zelensky said Ukraine had to pressure Iran to admit that it was the Iranian missile that caused the crash of the Ukrainian passenger airplane.
He also said he had to call Iranian President Hassan Rouhani several times to get permission for Ukrainian experts to inspect the crash site and to show them all the parts of the plane.
“The guys (Ukrainian aircraft experts sent to Iran) were calling me and telling: ‘Look, there is no cabin, no wing, no seats’ (available for them),” he said. “Obviously, we pressured, we pressured along with our partners the Iranian side to give us everything so that we received all the possible pieces of evidence for the future.”
Iranian authorities initially insisted that Boeing 737-800, which belonged to Ukrainian International Airlines, crashed due to the technical problems or pilots’ mistake. Only on Jan. 11, after several world leaders said, based on the reports of their intelligence, that it was an Iranian missile that caused the crash, Iran admitted that its air force confused the Ukrainian airplane with a cruise missile they thought was fired by the U.S.
Zelensky said he knew that the airplane was most likely hit by a missile on the first day after it happened and hinted at it privately to the families of 11 Ukrainian nationals who died in the crash. But he hesitates to say it publicly because “these are serious allegations that require serious proof.”
Zelensky insisted that Ukraine keeps on pressuring Iran to bring those responsible for the plane crash to justice.
“We will definitely achieve punishment for all those guilty,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Jan. 25 that the person who mistakenly shot the Ukrainian airplane was jailed.
On Trump
Zelensky was asked once again on whether Trump pressured him during the July 25 phone conversation at the center of Trump’s impeachment.
Trump was accused of pressuring Zelensky to investigate his political opponent, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and using the U.S. military aid for Ukraine as leverage. Trump denied any wrongdoing, calling the impeachment process a “witch hunt.”
Zelensky in his answer joked that the only pressure he knew about was the high blood pressure of his two grandmothers, with whom he grew up.
He insisted that he doesn’t want him or Ukraine to be involved in political fights in the U.S.
“Elections are a political process. This is definitely not an issue for Ukraine, it is an issue for the United States,” he said. “This is their president, their nation. Elect whoever you want. We will support your choice.”
On Russia’s war
Zelensky said that he has established a dialogue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about prisoner swaps and is ready to continue it.
Since Zelensky became president in May, Ukraine managed to release 35 of its nationals from prisons in Russia and 76 from the prisons in the Russian-controlled parts of Donbas during the two prisoner swaps in September and December.
“There are people who are kept in prisons there. There are different people of ours, Ukrainians, activists, Crimeans, who were brought to Russia,” he said. “I should be solving this issue with the person who decides on everything there. It is the president of the Russian Federation. It’s the only way I can bring back the people.”
But Zelensky said it’s impossible to move forward in the peace process without Russia taking away its soldiers from Ukraine’s territory.
“Only Russia can move its forces from the temporarily occupied territory… These forces have to be moved away from our territory. And I don’t see any progress here so far.”
Zelensky also said that the ending of Russia’s war against Ukraine that claimed already about 14,000 lives is one of the main goals for his presidency.
“I feel in my bones that Ukraine isn’t the only one that needs (the war to stop),” he said. “I have a feeling that Russia also needs it, that Europe also needs it, that the world needs it.”
He also said that the conflict cannot be solved without all the Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea, being returned to Ukraine. He said that otherwise, the military conflicts like this one would continue.
“If the war ends without Ukraine getting back all of our territories, I’m sure that this will not be the last time,” he said, meaning there will be more conflicts with Russia.
On Honcharuk and goals for presidency
Zelensky was also asked about Honcharuk, who filed his resignation from the post of prime minister a week before, after an audio recording of him speaking of Zelensky “not understanding economics” was leaked online. He stayed in the job but received a scolding and a new task list from Zelensky.
Zelensky explained his decision, comparing Honcharuk with a car that can still function well.
“He is a good car. He has not run out the mileage after which you change the car,” he said. “If he gets tired, he will leave. If he fails, he will vacate his seat. This is fair. But he needs a little bit more time to show the result.”
Zelensky added that Honcharuk works only for four months, which is not enough to show the real achievements, and he still has high energy to do things.
Speaking about his presidency, Zelensky compared it with the marathon run and said that he had no intention to campaign for the second term.
Apart from finishing the war, Zelensky said he would like to “clean up” the corruption among the top officials and in law enforcement.
“It is a long story. But I believe that during my term we will do that,” he said.
The third thing he wanted to achieve is to improve Ukraine’s reputation in the world and attract investment to the country.
