Zelensky: Russia Committing 'Genocide' in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Russia was committing “genocide” in Ukraine.

Partial transcript as follows:

BRENNAN:  The images you’re talking about have been described by leaders around the world as horrific. The mayor of Kyiv used the term genocide. Your vice prime minister is asking if this is fascism or genocide in terms of what has been left around Kyiv. Do you feel that the world will actually make good on this promise to hold Vladimir Putin to account for war crimes?

ZELENSKY: Everything has to be fair and according to justice, as the civilized world will decide. We believe in justice, in the justice of the Western world of- and therefore, the question is not only about the leader of Russian Federation. We wouldn’t think that it would be fair to take only him. I think all the military commanders, everyone who gave instructions and orders should be punished adequately. The adequate punishment to these people is difficult to be achieved. It has to be done according to the law and what they have done. And I want to apologize to you and to those people who are watching us now, but for some things that they have done. When we find people with- with hands tied behind their back and decapitated. Such things I don’t understand. I don’t comprehend the kids who were killed and tortured. So it wasn’t enough just to kill for those criminals. Maybe they wanted to take gold or washing machines and they were killing, but they were also torturing them as they did this. And your question is absolutely fair, but I don’t have the answer. I don’t know what law or what imprisonment term would be adequate for this. As the father of two children and as a president, I think that these people, if they are put behind the bars, this is one too little for what they have done.

BRENNAN: Is this genocide?

ZELENSKYY: Indeed, this is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities. We are the citizens of Ukraine and we don’t want to be subdued to the policy of Russian Federation. This is the reason we are being destroyed and exterminated, and this is happening in the Europe of the 21st century. So this is the torture of the whole nation.

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