Zelensky is 'a leader of the free world' - Yermak

According to Ukrinform, Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President's Office, said this in an interview with The Economist.

According to Yermak, Ukraine has shown that it's possible not to be afraid, not to have thousands of tanks or millions of troops. "It is simply enough to be a brave and honest person that loves his country," Yermak added.

He noted that now Ukraine needs to stand and survive, because "if it doesn't, Putin will never stop."

Yermak stressed that the Ukrainian army is one of the few armies in the world that was able to stop Russian troops after a month of fighting. "I think there is one, or maybe two armies in the world that are capable of stopping the Russian army after a month of fighting. If I were a NATO member, I would be so interested in having a country that shows what it's capable of in practice," he said.

On February 24, Russian President Putin announced the beginning of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying infrastructure, residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery, multiple rocket launchers and ballistic missiles.