Baier Grills Zelensky Over Ukraine’s Wartime Measures: ‘Mayor of Kyiv Says That You’re Turning It Into an Authoritarian State’

Fox News anchor Bret Baier grilled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday over accusations that he’s attempted to “consolidate power” with arrests, the suspension of elections, and the consolidation of media.

During an interview with Zelensky following his visit to Capitol Hill, Baier said:

Mr. President, there are critics who say that you’ve tried to consolidate power. Headlines that the Orthodox leader in Kyiv under house arrest, that you consolidated Ukraine’s TV outlets, that you ruled out holding elections next spring. Calling for unity, but then the mayor of Kyiv says that you’re turning it into an authoritarian state. How do you deal with that criticism? What do you say to critics who are saying that?

Zelensky replied, “I say such person from government or mayors think about the war, think about how to defend our people. Don’t travel through the world each day, travel to the front line.”

The Ukrainian president continued:

Us people are soldiers. What they need? Do this. Not build roads for today. Don’t do it. Spend all your money to the weapon, to the drones, to the society, to the pensions, and etcetera. And don’t cry, because you’re leaders, and that’s it. That’s why– That’s why we are and that’s why we stayed because most of the people, people are not crying. People stay and fight against Putin, and we don’t have any enemies in our country. We can’t have time for this and we don’t have it. We have only one enemy, this is Putin, and that’s it.

Baier questioned, “But you’ll stand for Democracy going forward?” to which Zelensky responded, “Yes, of course. Of course. Because we are really defending democracy and we are really defending freedom.”

Watch above via Fox News.