Zelenskyy: I spoke with Meloni, but it is difficult to influence decisions regarding Russian athletes at Paralympics
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the participation of Russian athletes in the Paralympic Games with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but it proved difficult to influence the decision of the relevant committee on the Italian side.
He said this during an interview, according to Censor.NET, citing Interfax-Ukraine.
Influence on the committee
"I spoke with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. I have a very good personal relationship with her. But it is very difficult to influence the committee from the Italian side, even during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I raised this issue. I think this is a problem. This is, you know, a program to isolate Russia, and the committee is one of the tools. They will do this in football, in sports. This has a big impact because the audience is large," he explained.
Participation of Russian athletes as part of the Russian Federation's propaganda campaign
According to Zelensky, the participation of Russian athletes in the Paralympics is part of Russia's information campaign: it is important for the country to display its flags and victories in international sports arenas to demonstrate its alleged lack of isolation.
"We must work against them with the tools we have. Of course, we are discussing this and organizing many allies against such decisions by the Olympic Committee. Our representatives at the Paralympics, our athletes, are very strong," the president said.
The role of Ukrainian athletes as a tool to counter Russia
He also emphasized the importance of Ukrainian athletes' successes for the country and the international audience: "And I think that our victory, our medals, are important for these people, they are very strong, wonderful people, and for Ukraine too. They are doing a great job, because it also hits the Russians. I hope we will win."
