Although Zelensky appeared more than once in television interviews, reaching him is not an easy task, says well-known Australian journalist Tom Steinfurt, owner of the “60 Minutes” program.
In an article for the “Sydney Morning Herald”, Steinfurt told the scenes of his meeting with the Ukrainian president, which has already been produced and will be shown on Sunday on Australia’s Channel Nine.
Having received interview approval, Steinfurt and his team headed to Kyiv and awaited further instructions on where to meet Zelensky.
The journalist said that he received a text message informing him of the location, as the meeting took place inside a hideout in the Ukrainian capital.
Steinfurt explained that he and his team had to pass through several roadblocks that were manned by Ukrainian forces, follow the soldiers into a hidden alley, and submit to an X-ray machine.
While holding a gift for Zelensky in his hand, a box of Tim Tam chocolate and a bottle of red wine, he said that Ukrainian soldiers stopped him before meeting the president and confiscated his belongings.
The soldiers told the journalist that it was necessary to send these gifts for testing before giving them to the president, as “we cannot risk exposing him to radiation poisoning.”
“We had to X-ray all our equipment, do more passport checks, then show everything we carry to the dog squad that sniffs our belongings for explosives,” he wrote.
After that, the production team entered the same room where Zelensky met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, for face-to-face talks days earlier.
Steinfurt said Zelensky took him to one side to talk to him briefly, before the interview began in front of the cameras.
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