I have had the opportunity to interview many politicians.
And, to be honest, I like politicians.
It’s my job to sift through them for you and ask the questions that need answers.
But I believe seeking public office is a noble thing to do.
Many politicians could live quieter, easier and, in many cases, more lucrative lives if they decided to do something else for a living.
But a functioning democracy requires people who are prepared to take on the public sphere and accept the criticism that comes with it.
Every now and then I have the privilege of meeting prominent politicians.
Volodymyr Zelensky stands out, at least among the politicians I have spoken to, as being a wartime leader.
He embodies a nation besieged by a deadly conflict that pits the values, instincts and interests of Western democracies against Russia (albeit indirectly).
The former TV comedian and actor is not just president of his country, but he came to this office at a time when his people were in ultimate peril, making him one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.
So it is a great honour for me to be invited to ask him some questions on your behalf during his visit to the UK.
He’s someone Moscow wants dead, so it’s no surprise that security is tight around him.
Now, having a one-on-one conversation with him, I got to see it again.
He speaks English very well, but in longer interviews (we spoke for about 40 minutes) he often answers in Ukrainian, especially if he feels that precision in his language choice is important.
So, apart from the moments when he willingly switched to English, we spoke through an interpreter.
I challenged him about the corruption that seems to be deeply rooted, if not pervasive, in the upper echelons of Ukrainian society.
He said the fact that we knew about this, and that people lost their jobs because of it, shows that Kyiv was taking this seriously.
He was upbeat about the prospect of getting to know another British prime minister – Sir Keir Starmer, his fourth in the two-and-a-half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He said he was optimistic because of Britain’s unwavering and consistent support for him despite the political turmoil at home.
A week ago, Sir Keir was at the NATO summit in Washington on his first overseas visit as prime minister when US President Joe Biden somehow confused Zelensky with Putin, with the Ukrainian president standing just metres away.
I was just waiting in the corridor for Sir Keir’s press conference, which was marked by a stunning gaffe by President Biden, which the Prime Minister, like the Ukrainian leader, tried to downplay as just another gaffe.
However, President Zelenskyy has spoken out about President Donald Trump’s views on Ukraine. It was more pointed. – and in English.
He also acknowledged that, in his view, the return of all Ukrainian territory is not necessarily a prerequisite for an end to the fighting.
“Not all territory will be taken back by force,” he said. Let’s see what kind of reaction this will provoke.
For now the war continues, claiming tens of thousands of lives, displacing millions and costing billions of pounds.
“The time to stand up for freedom and democracy is now, and that place is Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg previously told me.
A message to Moscow, Washington and beyond as the war rages: President Volodomyr Zelensky continues to ask for your support in winning the war.
