Episode #456 from 13:55
Language
If we can explain why the Ukrainian language is very important, our conversation will be most effective and impactful if we speak in Russian. I speak Russian perfectly of course, and I understand everything you are talking about. However, I can't respond in Russian the entire interview. It's because this is how it is today. I'm not making anything up. You can see it all for yourself. You can feel and hear it. Today, there were 73 missile attacks against us and people were killed. There were over 100 drones today, and this is a daily occurrence. The people who attack us, they speak Russian. They attack people who were only recently told that this was actually in defense of Russian-speaking people, and this is why I respect neither the leader or director of today's Russia, nor the people. That's it. And I don't think that you can just pretend that nothing's happening and give Putin a pass once again for saying that, "We are one people, that we speak one language," et cetera. They speak the language of weapons. That is a fact, and we are peaceful people. Peaceful people who want to protect themselves and defend their freedom and their human choice. At the beginning of the war, I addressed Russians in Russian, zero effect. They're mute.
Why this moment matters
If we can explain why the Ukrainian language is very important, our conversation will be most effective and impactful if we speak in Russian. I speak Russian perfectly of course, and I understand everything you are talking about. However, I can't respond in Russian the entire interview. It's because this is how it is today. I'm not making anything up. You can see it all for yourself. You can feel and hear it. Today, there were 73 missile attacks against us and people were killed. There were over 100 drones today, and this is a daily occurrence. The people who attack us, they speak Russian. They attack people who were only recently told that this was actually in defense of Russian-speaking people, and this is why I respect neither the leader or director of today's Russia, nor the people. That's it. And I don't think that you can just pretend that nothing's happening and give Putin a pass once again for saying that, "We are one people, that we speak one language," et cetera. They speak the language of weapons. That is a fact, and we are peaceful people. Peaceful people who want to protect themselves and defend their freedom and their human choice. At the beginning of the war, I addressed Russians in Russian, zero effect. They're mute.