I'm David Knowles and I'm Francis Durnley and this is a special episode of Ukraine the

latest bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory.

If we give President Zelensky the tools, the Ukrainians will finish the job.

Slava Ukrainian.

Nobody is going to break us.

We're strong.

We're Ukrainians.

journalist Simon Schuster has reported on and from Ukraine for many years for Time magazine,

the Kyiv Post and many other distinguished publications.

Most recently, he spent a year following and interviewing key figures in Kiev's presidential

office, including the president himself, for Odymieur Zelensky.

In his new book, The Showman, Simon relates how he saw firsthand Zolensky conduct this war,

from the bunker to the front lines, and how Zolensky used his experiences as a communicator

to articulate and inspire the country's defiance.

In the book and our interview, Simon examines how the brutal invasion and Ukrainian resistance

changed Zilensky.

Creating a tougher, more serious man than Simon had

first met in 2019 on the eve of his astonishing presidential victory.

It was a privilege to be able to speak to Simon, a long time listener of the podcast and

understand more about his time with Zelensky during this time of war.

This is not one to miss. Here's our conversation.

Well, Simon, thank you so much for your time. It's a real pleasure to speak to you about this.

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