Here is a transcript of the remarks of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, during a John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School on September 27. Zelenskyy spoke from Ukraine and his remarks were translated simultaneously by an interpreter in Zelenskyy’s office. The forum moderator was Ash Carter, Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs, the former U.S. defense secretary who now is director of the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Zelenskyy’s opening remarks were followed by a conversation with Harvard students attending the forum. The transcript was lightly edited for length and clarity.Ash Carter: Good day, everyone. And welcome. A special welcome to our guest, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. I think he will be joining us here in just one moment. This is someone who truly does not require an introduction. There you are, Mr. President. [Applause and standing ovation]President Zelenskyy: Thank you so much, it is a big pleasure. Thank you.Carter: Mr. President, I think you can tell from that round of applause how much respect and admiration this audience has for you. Mr. President, I have a particular personal fondness for your country because in the 1990s as an assistant secretary of defense I was responsible for establishing the military and intelligence relationships with Ukraine. And so I worked with a number of your predecessors in those times. So I have a particular heart for Ukraine and therefore this meeting today and the honor of hosting you has a special meaning for me.The president has asked that we devote as much time as possible to questions and answers so I am not even going to attempt to introduce this man. If you are not familiar with his biography, you must have been in a closet for the last couple of years. And history has moreover cast him in a Churchillian role, which we observe with wonder and amazement because of its challenges. What he has asked to do is speak to you for a few minutes and then we will turn to Q&A with an emphasis on the questions from you who are aspiring to public service, giving you a chance to ask one of the great public servants of our time for advice about your own trans……

Transcript:The Inside Story: Ukraine: One Year LaterEpisode 80 – February 23, 2023Show Open:Unidentified Narrator:A grim anniversary in Ukraine…Met with a visit by the U.S. president…And a vow of continue support:President Joe Biden:Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you. And the world stands with you.Unidentified Narrator:Defending Ukraine from Russia’s ambitions … Now on The Inside Story-Ukraine: One Year Later. The Inside Story:, VOA Pentagon Correspondent:Hi. I’m Carla Babb, VOA Pentagon Correspondent.I’m in Washington, DC near Ukraine’s embassy to the United States, where well-wishers have adorned with flowers and other mementos, marking one year since Russia began its war against Ukraine.From the start, expectations were that Russia would capture Kyiv within a matter of days of an invasion.But those expectations went unfulfilled.Russia’s military strength was overestimated while Ukraine’s defensive capabilities was underestimated.NATO countries responded by arming Ukraine with defensive weapons to try to push back Russia’s advances.One year later, Russia continues to attack Ukraine with missiles from the skies and with infantry and tanks on the ground.We will spend most of our time today looking at the help NATO and the U.S. have provided to Ukraine and its impact going forward.VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara gets us started with President Joe Biden’s speech in Warsaw and stop in Kyiv.Unidentified Singers: You Give Me FreedomPATSY WIDAKUSWARA, VOA White House bureau chief:U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday returned to the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, where he had delivered a speech last year, a month after Russia invaded Ukraine.In his latest speech, he defended the Western alliance’s effort to help Kyiv defend itself.President Joe Biden:One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv. Well, I’ve just come from a visit to Kyiv, and I can report Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall. And most important, it stands free.PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to an assembly of Russian lawmakers, saying the U.S. and NATO want to inflict……

Thank you very much. I welcome all who stand for common efforts. And I promise, being really united, we can guarantee fair peace for all nations. What’s more, unity can prevent wars. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, fellow leaders, this hall saw many, many wars but not as active defender against the aggressions. In many cases, the fear of war, the final war, was the loudest here, the war after which no one would gather in the General Assembly Hall Ukrainian Transcript again. The Third World War was seen as a nuclear war, a conflict between states on the highway to nukes. Other wars seemed less scary compared to a threat of the so-called “great powers” firing their nuclear stockpiles.(01:23)So, the 20th century taught the world to restrain from the use of the weapons of mass destruction, not to deploy, not to proliferate, not to threaten with, and not to test, but to promote a complete nuclear disarmament. Frankly, this is a good strategy. But it should not be the only strategy to protect the world from the final war. Ukraine gave up its third-largest nuclear arsenal. The world then decided Russia should become a keeper of such power. Yet, history shows it was Russia who deserved nuclear disarmament the most, back in 1990s. And Russia deserves it now, terrorists have no right to hold nuclear weapons. No right. But truly not the nukes are the scariest now. While nukes remain in place, the mass destruction is gaining its momentum. The aggressor is weaponizing many other things and those things are used not only against our country but against all of yours as well.(02:54)Fellow leaders, there are many conventions that restrict weapons but there are no real restrictions on weaponization. First, let me give you an example: the food. Since the start of the full-scale war, the Ukrainian ports in the Black and Azov Seas have been blocked by Russia. Until now, our ports on the Danube River remain the target for missiles and drones. And it is clear Russia’s attempt to weaponize the food shortage on the global market in exchange for recognition for some, if not all, of the captured territories. Russia is launching the food prices as weapons. The impac……