Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine, War, Peace, Putin, Trump, NATO, and Freedom | Lex Fridman Podcast #456
Why this one hits different
A wartime president, a three-language conversation and a question at the center of world politics. On Lex Fridman Podcast #456, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks about the war, peace and what comes next.
Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
Zelenskyy has been President of Ukraine since 2019 and led the country through Russia's full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022. Before politics, he was an actor and comedian.
What's on the table
Lex, who grew up speaking Russian, and Zelenskyy move between Ukrainian, Russian and English. The conversation covers the war, prospects for peace, Putin, Trump, NATO and freedom. The episode is available with English, Ukrainian and Russian audio tracks, plus the original mixed-language version.
Why it's worth your time
It's a rare long-form interview with a head of state in the middle of a war, released just before a change of administration in Washington. Watch it as a primary source and compare it with other perspectives.
Quick answers
- When did Lex Fridman #456 come out?
- January 5, 2025.
- What language is the Zelenskyy interview in?
- The original mixes Ukrainian, Russian and English. English, Ukrainian and Russian voice-over tracks are also available.
More episodes: Lex Fridman.
Chapters
Episode notes from Lex Fridman
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the President of Ukraine. This episode is available in English, Ukrainian, and Russian. Captions and voice-over audio tracks are provided in English, Ukrainian, Russian, and the original mixed-language version, with subtitles available in your preferred language. To listen to the original mixed language version, please select the English (UK) audio track audio track. The default is English overdub.
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See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
*Transcript:*
https://lexfridman.com/volodymyr-zelenskyy-transcript
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*EPISODE LINKS:*
President Zelenskyy’s X: https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa
President Zelenskyy’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/zelenskyy_official
President Zelenskyy’s Website: https://www.president.gov.ua/
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*OUTLINE:*
0:00 – Introduction
3:29 – Introductory words from Lex
13:55 – Language
23:44 – World War II
40:32 – Invasion on Feb 24, 2022
47:07 – Negotiating Peace
1:07:24 – NATO and security guarantees
1:20:17 – Sitting down with Putin and Trump
1:39:47 – Compromise and leverage
1:45:15 – Putin and Russia
1:55:07 – Donald Trump
2:05:39 – Martial Law and Elections
2:17:58 – Corruption
2:26:44 – Elon Musk
2:30:47 – Trump Inauguration on Jan 20
2:33:55 – Power dynamics in Ukraine
2:37:27 – Future of Ukraine
2:42:09 – Choice of language
2:51:39 – Podcast prep and research process
3:00:04 – Travel and setup
3:05:51 – Conclusion
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