Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, asked his American counterpart, Joe Bien, to use his State of the Union address to send a strong message to Russia about invading Ukraine.

During an interview with CNN in the bunker where he is holed up, a visibly weary Zelensky hoped that Biden’s speech tonight would be “helpful” in reversing the war.

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Regarding the negotiations initiated in Belarus between the Ukrainian and Russian governments, Zelensky considered that the first thing “is to stop fighting” because, otherwise, “time will be wasted”.

The president, who worked as an actor before entering politics, said that what happened “is very serious, it is not a movie”, and about the ovation he received this Tuesday when intervening on video before the European Parliament, he said: “I am not iconic, Ukraine is iconic.”

During the interview, Zelensky revealed that he has not seen his family for three days and that his days are limited to “working and sleeping”.

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Zelensky and Biden held a 30-minute telephone conversation on Tuesday as Russia has intensified airstrikes against the country’s capital, Kyiv, in recent hours.

“We talked about the leadership of the United States in imposing sanctions against Russia and in supporting the defense of Ukraine. We must stop the aggressor as soon as possible. Thank you for his support!” Zelensky said on Twitter after the call.

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Biden will speak this Tuesday before both chambers of the United States Congress at 9:00 p.m. local time in Washington to offer his first State of the Union address, at a delicate moment due to his low popularity and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.