ABC World News Tonight host David Muir returns to Ukraine, says Volodymyr Zelensky is ‘determined to use every tool’ to keep West engaged

Just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, ABC World News tonight Presenter David Muir was the first American correspondent to interview the country’s president, Vladimir Zelensky.

Six months later, the war in Ukraine continues, Ukraine has defended Kyiv and is now considering a counteroffensive in the east. Meanwhile, what had been a wall-to-wall cover in the United States has slowed down.

So Muir felt it was time to bring what was happening in the country back into the open. Over Labor Day weekend in the United States, the ABC presenter returned to Ukraine to interview Zelensky.

“It is impossible to truly understand the scale of this war, the atrocities committed, without spending time with Ukrainian families and witnessing firsthand their pain, their fear and their resilience,” says Muir. the hollywood reporter. “Much of its strength derives from its leader… whose struggle to protect and defend his fragile democracy has captivated the world.”

But Zelensky proved to be a seasoned political operative, fully aware of the power of the media and pop culture. He has given virtual speeches at the Venice Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and the Grammy Awards, and hosted celebrities like Ben Stiller to raise awareness in the country.

And, of course, he spends his time doing interviews with media outlets around the world, trying to keep Ukraine in the spotlight.

“When you spend time with President Zelensky, you immediately recognize that this is a man determined to use every tool at his disposal to keep the United States and the West engaged if Ukraine wins this war,” says Muir. “He knows his life is in danger and he told me, ‘We don’t want to feel alone. And with the United States, we are not alone.’ It’s amazing to spend time with this leader, perhaps the most unlikely president in wartime, in the dark corridors of the bunker-turned-presidential building in Kyiv as he moves into this moment in history.

Muir’s interview with Zelensky is scheduled to air on Monday night. ABC World News tonightAnd he will also report on alleged war crimes from the city of Bucha. night line Tuesday.