Zelensky goes viral. See what was edited out

1 year ago
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A viral video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky takes his remarks out of context to wrongly make it sound like he demanded that Americans send their sons and daughters to fight in the war in Ukraine. CNN's Daniel Dale breaks down why the dramatic excerpt is not what it seems. #CNN #News

A 19 second video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has gotten millions of views on Twitter. The viral video shows Zelensky speaking at a press conference on the anniversary of Russia's invasion. And it sure sounds from this short clip like he made a dramatic declaration that Americans have to fight in Ukraine.
00:19
The US will have to send their sons and daughters exactly the same way as we are sending their sons and daughters to war. And they will have to fight because it's nature that we're talking about and they will be dying and God forbid, because it's a horrible thing. Critics of American financial and military support for Ukraine have reacted furiously to this clip and shared it on social media.
00:44
They include Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Monica Crowley, a former Trump administration Treasury Department spokesperson. Crowley wrote. Zelensky now directly threatening us and claiming American sons and daughters will have to fight and die for Ukraine. However, Zelensky did not actually make that claim.
01:03
This 19 second video takes him way out of context. The full clip shows that he wasn't talking about Americans fighting in Ukraine at all. Here is what really happened. Zelensky was asked about what he'd say to Americans who think the US is providing too much support for Ukraine. He first thanked the American people, President Biden and Congress for their support.
01:23
He urged Americans to see Ukrainians as similar to themselves. He urged the U.S. not to give up its leadership position in the world. And then he said this The US is never going to give up on the need to member states if it happens so that Ukraine, due to various opinions and we can and depleting of assistance loses.
01:51
Russia is going to enter Baltic states, native member states and then the US will have to send their sons and daughters exactly the same way as we are sending their sons and daughters to war. And they will have to fight because it's nature that we're talking about and they will be dying. God forbid, because it's a horrible thing to I wish them peace and Ukrainian support to the United States.
02:25
People are free to criticize that actual comment from Zelensky, but he was clearly not saying the US military should fight on Ukrainian soil. He was saying the US would have to fight in other countries. NATO's countries the US has formally committed to help defend if Russia invaded those countries later. So as always, when you come across a sensational but short clip on social media, it's always a good idea to look for the extended footage to

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