Zelenskyy responds to Russia’s demand to return «Russian children»

Zelenskyy addressed this during a meeting with journalists.

«I think we need to look into this. We don’t have their children. This is some new narrative they’ve started. In principle, I’m not surprised,» Zelenskyy said.

The President emphasized that he is not surprised by such statements from the Kremlin, as Moscow has repeatedly responded in a mirrored fashion to Ukraine’s statements.

«In principle, I’m not surprised. Why? Because when we talked about Putin’s illegitimacy and how one can deal with him, they took up the narrative of my illegitimacy and so on. As soon as we said they weren’t taking their dead, they started offering us body exchanges,» the President added.

Zelenskyy noted that previously, the process of exchanging bodies occurred without much publicity, but now Russia has begun using it as an element of media pressure.

«Before this, on the battlefield, it happened quietly, calmly, without media attention, and no one exerted the kind of media pressure they’re now creating. Now, you see, they realized they handed over „Russians“ to us, and then understood that this pressure is working against them. Although they were the ones discussing this issue. Of course, exchanging bodies is important; it’s important to bring our own back,» the President said.