CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, some 1,700 kilometers east of Paris, where Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk is preparing to beat her Greek opponent, Volodymyr Zelensky spots war-wounded in a military hospital in the west of the country. Here are these heroes, decorated with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, amidst rehabilitation equipment. President Zelensky, 46, then took his place in the gymnasium of a local school, where he answered questions from L’Équipe and three other French media. Between the green walls pinned up with posters from the local volleyball club, the president of the country invaded by Russia for almost 900 days talked about the Olympic Games and his relationship, both political and personal, with sport.
Why didn’t you attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games?
Emmanuel Macron invited me. I would have gladly accepted his invitation, but our country is going through a difficult period. Even in times of war, I travel abroad for meetings, but right now the situation is tense in eastern Ukraine. The Russians are striking at our territory. They don’t care that the Olympics are taking place right now. They’re hitting our energy infrastructure, which has been under great strain for several months, even though it’s stabilizing.
As President of Ukraine, I cannot afford to attend, with all due respect, the opening ceremony of an event as important as the Olympic Games. This event is undoubtedly political, but for me it is above all a great celebration, for all the athletes and for France. For our country, it’s not a celebration. For our team, taking part in the Olympic Games in wartime is a victory. But this is no time for celebration.