In the center of Kyiv – protected by checkpoints, sandbags, soldiers and guns – stands the military heart of the city.
This is where we meet Oleksiy Danilov, head of the country’s National Security Council – of President Zelensky most trusted security advisor.
Mr. Danilov is not a shrinking violet. We talk for 20 or 30 minutes, during which time his dark gaze never leaves me and his concentration never drops. Be it resolved that the war will be won and Russia will suffer its consequences.
Also determined to let us know of the respect and affection he has for the UK. Does he have, I wonder, a message for the new prime minister?
Putin faces ‘inevitable defeat’ in southern Ukraine – follow live updates on the war
“Britain has been helping us since the first days of the war,” Mr Danilov said intensely. “When Boris Johnson was prime minister, he communicated a lot with our president. On the first day and in the most difficult days, he constantly communicated with him.
“I’m more than sure the next Prime Minister will do the same for our country, as Johnson and Truss did, and it will be a continuation of the great help the British people are giving.
“We have a great common cause, and we are aware that we are on the side of the light of all Europe and all the civilized world. By adding to military aid, training our soldiers and welcoming our refugees, Britain has offered us the help of a common family.And this moral help is very important.It is unmatched.
His joy fades, however. We are talking about a succession of sinister challenges. Missiles and drones, for example, which have descended on certain towns and villages, destroying essential infrastructure and jeopardizing the country’s electricity supply.
“These are things that people’s lives depend on – the work of hospitals, schools and the lives of the elderly. This is humanitarian terrorism,” he says.
Then there is the Kakhovka dam, which he says was mined by the Russian military “with a huge amount of explosives”.
Read more: What is a ‘dirty bomb’ and is Russia considering blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam?
Some claim that Russia might blow it up in order to prevent Ukrainian troops from advancing towards Kherson.
“We will have to wait and see, but if they blow it up, the idea of water supply in Crimea will disappear for 10 or 15 years, or maybe forever.
“So the question arises why they want Crimea if they want to leave it without water.”
As for Kherson himself, he says the situation is “not easy” but that he does not expect Russian troops to “retreat on their own…they have their own plan , which I think we understand”.
He is, I think, setting the stage for a potentially brutal battle.
He also fears that a new front will open in the north.
Russian troops are said to be massing in Belarus (a country for whose leaders Mr Danilov reserves particular disdain), raising the specter of their crossing the border and heading south towards Kyiv. This, he told me, was a subject he had discussed with Mr. Zelenskyy just before our meeting.
“Belarus has been occupied by the Russian Federation for a long time,” he said, his gaze still fixed. “Russia is doing everything it deems necessary there, especially when it comes to the military sphere and the work of the Russian special services. In fact, they are under occupation.”
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So, could Belarus be the base for an attack?
“Yes, indeed, from that side, after a certain period of time, some unpleasant events may occur for our country. They have resolved this issue. And they can in a short time transfer a large number of their troops precisely by air and rail to Belarus.”
He tells me that Ukraine does not have a “dirty bomb”, despite the Kremlin’s claims, and does not have the necessary equipment (“since 1994 when we gave everything [Soviet-era nuclear weapons previously stationed in Ukraine] to Russia for free”) and “we wouldn’t solve this problem anyway – we are not North Korea, Iran or Russia”.
And then we come to the tricky part of the interview.
Before meeting Mr. Danilov, I had sounded out the opinion of some senior European diplomats. One subject kept coming up – what could end the war? Would Ukraine agree to a deal in which, for example, it would give up land occupied by Russia since 2014 in exchange for, say, NATO membership?
Mr. Danilov’s gaze turns into a glare.
“I don’t know who you talk to in Europe and what those people have to do with our independence,” he said, frowning.
“Let me remind you. At one point, a French personality [he refers to former President Nicolas Sarkozy] attempted to negotiate with Russia over Georgia, Georgia lost part of its territories. After French and German personalities forced us to sign the Minsk agreements [in 2014], we lost part of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. But we haven’t stopped fighting for them, and we haven’t stopped defending it, because it’s ours.
“It’s our constitution, it’s our laws, it’s our land. Let them [European leaders] give their land to Putin. I want to see how their community, their constituents and their children will react.
“Listen, you can’t incite terrorists. Because in the future their desire to capture, capture and capture again will only increase. This is a dangerous practice. They made an example of the Fascist Germany So we have a very good memory Now, Putin is not much different from Hitler – he is just a modern Hitler.
“From 1941 to 1945, Germany was at war with almost the whole world. In May 1945, it was left in ruins. It will be the same with Russia. They are doomed to it.”
So I wonder how Ukraine and Russia can ever reconcile. After all, even when the war is over, the geography will not change – they will still share a long border.
“First, I don’t think Putin will stay in power for long,” Danilov said. “He is doing everything in his power to bring Russia down. It is Putin who is destroying Russia with his actions.
“Secondly, other countries coexist with their neighbors, and there is no need to fight. There is no need to clarify relations by military means. And where will the borders be? I told several occasions than Ichkeria [Chechnya] will be free, Tatarstan will be free and many countries will be free. Whether that happens this year, or next year, or in the near future – let’s see.”
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And this is the view that intoxicates and inspires so many in Ukraine – a story of total victory: Ukraine will prevail, Russia will be defeated and Mr. Putin will fall.
The truth is that there are many across Europe who are hoping for an agreement to end the war, but I suspect they will find it difficult to convince Mr Danilov.
Over the past eight months, Ukraine has told its people that it is fighting to save its entire country.
Moving the goal posts now would be difficult.
“Our society,” he says, “demands the liberation of all our lands from Russian invaders.”
He doesn’t look or sound like a man ready to change his mind.
