Ukrainian First Lady Says Her Son, 9, Took Dance and Piano Lessons Before War — Now He Wants to Be a Soldier

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Pavlo_Bagmut/ Ukrinform/Barcroft Media via Getty

Ukrainian first ladyOlena Zelenskais concerned about her son’s new desire to become a soldier.

“Before the war, my son used to go to the folk dance ensemble. He played piano. He learned English. He of course attended sports club,” Zelenska, 44,told NBC News' Peter Alexanderthrough a translator on Wednesday.

Now, she said, like most boys in Ukraine, “the only thing he wants to do is martial arts and [learn] how to use a rifle.”

The first lady expressed that her priority is the safety of the people of Ukraine, and a return of some sense of normalcy for kids and families amid the war with Russia. “And that’s what I really want to ensure, is that the childhood of my son is given back to him and that he enjoys his life to the fullest,” she told Alexander.

Zelenska and Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyyhave two children, an 18-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, first lady Olena Zelenska and their two children.olenazelenska_official/Instagram

This week, Zelenska headed to Washington, D.C., marking her first trip to the United States since the war began.

On Wednesday, Zelenska spoke to the U.S. Congress. “We want everybody and every mother to be able to tell their child, ‘go to sleep peacefully, there will be no more air strikes, no more missile strikes.’ Is this so much to wish for?” Zelenska said during her appeal for more aid in ending the war.

The first lady of the United States, Dr.Jill Biden, met with Zelenska at the White House one day prior, where the two had a private meeting.

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The two spoke about"the United States' continued support for the government of Ukraine and its people as they defend their democracy and cope with the significant human impacts of Russia’s war, which will be felt for years to come," according to the White House.

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“I wanted to come onMother’s Day,” Biden told Zelenska,according to the AP. “I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.”

source: people.com