Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, says her nine-year-old son wants to be a soldier because of the country’s conflict.
Ms Zelenska told NBC that her son Kyrylo is now only interested in “martial arts and learning how to use a rifle.”
She went on to say that she hoped her son’s childhood would be “returned” to him.
Ms Zelenska, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife, was in the United States, where she was lobbying for more weapons for Ukraine.
She said of her son’s reaction to the five-month-long war with Russia: “My son used to go to the folk dance ensemble before the war. He was a pianist. He studied English.”
However, following Russia’s, “obviously he wants to be a soldier,” she said. “I cannot bring him back to doing arts and humanities.
- Russia, according to Kyiv, intends to destroy Ukraine’s statehood and nation.
- Because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, all regions of the world will experience slower growth and higher inflation, according to the IMF.
“And that’s what I really want to ensure is that the childhood of my son is given back to him, and that he enjoys his life to the fullest.”
Ms Zelenska, who is also mother to 18-year-old Oleksandra, spoke of the plight of other children and parents during her visit to the US.
During a 15-minute speech to US Congress on Wednesday, she presented photos and videos of Ukrainian children who have been killed or injured during the war.
One of the images included was of a four-year-old Liza Dmytriyeva, who was killed in an air strike in the central-western city of Vinnytsia.
“We want every father and every mother to be able to tell their child, ‘Go to sleep peacefully. There will be no more airstrikes, no more missile strikes.’ Is this too much to wish for?” she said during her speech.
“But unfortunately, the war is not over, the terror continues.”
Appealing for more weapons and air-defence systems, she said: “I am asking for weapons. Weapons that would not be used to wage a war on somebody else’s land but to protect one’s home and the right to wake up alive in that home.”
Members of Congress have been largely supportive of Ukraine’s requests for more security assistance, and have so far supplied around $8bn (£6.7bn) to Ukraine.
During her visit to the US, Ms Zelenska – who has assumed a more public role recently – also met with US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
