Zelensky spoke about the role of "iPhone diplomacy" at the beginning of the war
The President said that he asked: "Let's talk faster. Do not order a telephone conversation, but speak faster with each other."
President Volodymyr Zelensky, recalling the first days of the war, said that iPhone diplomacy and friendly relations with the leaders of several countries helped him a lot. He said this in an interview with the German TV channel ZDF.
“I really had a close relationship with (ex-British Prime Minister Boris) Johnson. Close with (Polish President Andrzej) Duda, the presidents of Latvia and Lithuania. These are the people I could call. (French President) Emmanuel Macron always tells me: you call me on WhatsUp. And we really talked a lot with these leaders not according to protocol, but quickly. It was a quick response ... It so happened that we suddenly had relations with (ex-Prime Minister of Italy Mario) Draghi ", Zelensky said.
According to him, this manifested itself, among other things, due to the fact that during the war the head of state deals not only with strategic issues, but also with micromanagement.
"War, especially the war with the Russians, with a complex big country, dictates quick decisions. Right now. And here the story is not only about strategy. Half of your head is engaged in strategy, and half must tactically strike back. And in this tactic, it is important who with you. Because: fast deliveries, we need to get together politically, to discuss - all this assumes not ordinary diplomacy, but what I would call iPhone diplomacy," he said.
"And I am absolutely open. I asked: let's talk faster. Do not order a telephone conversation, but talk faster with each other," the president added.
Zelensky also noted that he has very good diplomatic relations with the President of the United States, Slovakia, the Federal Chancellor of Germany and other leaders.
“These relations are just as strong as with the countries I have already mentioned. I’m just saying that this iPhone diplomacy has also appeared. It helped me a lot in the first days of the war. I spoke with Duda both at night and when I needed it. And President Biden, by the way, was the first to call after the attack. It was, in my opinion, at 6.20 in the morning. It seems that his call was the first, "the president said.
Answering a clarifying question about which other leaders of the Western countries communicated with him after Russia launched missile strikes on the center of Kyiv on October 10, Zelensky answered that they were the heads of the United States, Germany, Poland, France, Canada, etc.
“I don’t remember now in what order, because after this strike I had 10 or 11 calls with leaders. Everyone responds quickly, and this is also an important factor,” Zelensky said.
In addition, the head of state emphasized that during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, relations with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also changed in terms of greater support for Ukraine.
"They asked me about the Chancellor - how has everything changed? It has changed. Olaf's reaction is very fast today. And it was important for me that the G7 got together. And Germany had a leading position there. He organized it all. All the countries supported us there. Of course, if the chancellor's attitude had been different, this meeting could have taken place in 10 days. This was an extraordinary meeting, and he would not be to blame for anything. But his actions characterized his attitude towards us," the president said.
He noted that he was satisfied with today's relations with Scholzoy and hoped not to lose them.
Earlier in the OP they talked about the mistakes in the first days of the war - why they didn’t strike at the bridges and didn’t undermine them.