this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. commentator: zinchenko. he's been a premier league star for manchester city... zinchenko will claim it. ..and now arsenal. and he's a proud ukrainian. oleksandr zinchenko says he'll swap football for fighting against russia if he's called up. i think it's a clear answer. of course. i would go. as the war continues, the arsenal player says ukraine's break with its russian neighbour is for good.

since this invasion, we can't be friends with them anymore. we will never forget what they have done to us, to our people. he's donated over £1 million to ukraine, and now he says he wants to do the best for his country. i can't be more proudly than i am right now to be ukrainian. so what's next for zinchenko and the fighting, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives? every single day, i am watching some videos from ukraine with the kids, where they're hiding themselves in a bunker. and i was just trying to put myself in their position, you know, when i was at that age. i didn't have that, so i was living my proper life. and now, ifeel sorry for them because they don't deserve it, honestly. and, you know, just again, once again, you're just asking yourself, like,

they're doing that for what? to achieve what? i—i cannot find the answer, honestly. you must have friends in ukraine with kids and friends also in ukraine who are fighting. what contacts do you have with them and how are they doing? every time, when i was talking to them, you know, i feel sorry. i feel sorry because i'm not there as well. mm—hm. i'll be honest with you. i really want to be in ukraine, and i...and i said to my wife and myfamily and, to be honest, the feedback is exactly the same, that all of us, we're going to live in ukraine after my football career. you know, the question is where we are more helpful for our country at the moment — so here or being there? this is the question. and the answer is clear at the moment that i can do much, much more being here rather than i will be in ukraine at the moment. but definitely, when i have some windows or something,

or holidays or whatever, or when the season will be over, i will be there, for sure. so every time, when i'm talking to my friends or to the guys which is staying on the front line — we always, like, have communication between each other — i'm always trying to help as much as i can. you're 27. do you have some of your former schoolmates on the front lines? yes, i have some guys which i've been in school with them, and ijust talking to them sometimes and i'm just sending some stuff which they really need at the moment and, um... it's tough to understand that just recently we've been in the same school, we were playing in the playground or in the football pitch, and now they have to defend our country on the front line and, um... honestly, it's so hard to accept this, but it is what it is. we cannot give up. it's interesting you say that right now, because, of course, zelensky now

has enacted the bill which will reduce the age of particularly young men from 27 to 25. it must be very hard. they've fought a hard war. it's kind of at stalemate just now and people are exhausted who are fighting. the only... the only message is clear that it's so super tough for all of us and for all the country, that if the president decided to do that, that means there is a tough situation at the moment. and the only thing i know clearly that we can't give up. we can't give up. i know maybe some people might think that it's much easier, you know, to talk for me being here rather than being there. i really hope that this war will end soon. but at the same point, you know, i'm just trying to... ..sometimes to visualise and trying to be, like, in the president's spot, and just what i would do, because, like, history shows you

that you can't have any agreement with this country. it's so hard. imean, like... no agreement with russia? i don't know how can you... like, i really hope the war will end soon, but it's super tough. what's zelensky like on a one—to—one basis? you know, he must be very proud of you. well, first of all, i'm so proud of him because i said this to him as well, that me, personally, me and my family, we are so proud of our president because i don't know what would be with our country if there was another guy instead of him. you can see it also on the pictures, you know, since he... his face before the war and his face now, you know, like for two years different, how much he changed as well. and he's living with this every single day, every single second, and he's trying to do his best. and he's doing amazing, amazing job for all the country.

and he's our leader. so, one on one, he seems like a very, very simple guy, which you can talk about anything you want. does he like football? yeah, yeah, he likes football so much, so, um... to be honest, like, you don't feel that you're talking to the president, which is so good stuff. as you say, you're living a very comfortable life in london. you know, you play for arsenal, you're a star player. you play for your national side. you talk about going back. if, at some point, you thought it was of more value to leave this behind and go back and fight if you were called, would you go? i think it's a clear answer. of course. you would go? i would go. so you're a little boy playing at shakhtar donetsk in the donbas, and then you take your first big job, and it's for a russian side. back then, what were your relations

like with russia then? you must have known young russian players who are now presumably fighting on the other side. well, i'll be honest with you, if you look back to my football career, for that moment when i was 17 years old, i didn't have any other option, just, like, to leave ukraine. in a football way, you know? i mean... because it's quite a long story about that, why i decided to do that and stuff. i didn't have any other option, any other option. and the thing is, for time which i use, which i spent there, for 1.5 years being in russia, i've got some friends, some circle, right there. but since the invasion, like really, really few who texted me and sent me some messages. and i can't blame them, because this is not theirfault, right? i cannot tell them, like, "guys, do the protests outside" and all these things, because i know how... ..they can be in prison,

you know, for that. and the question is just for the population, do they really like to live in these kind of conditions, in the rules where you don't have any... ..you don't have free word? so... but the thing is, since the invasion, this circle became to zero, so i don't speak... i don't speak with anyone there at the moment. that's a regret, surely, that, you know, this is what war causes, that you have presumably people that were your friends that you just can't speak to anymore? well, like i said, i can't blame them. but in the same time, like... ..i think the russian population could do much, much more and a lot of different good things, because they used to call us brothers, sisters, i don't know, whatever. but since this invasion, this time showed us, to all the ukrainians that we can't be friends with them anymore. we will never forget

what they have done to us, to our people, and that's what i will teach my kids as well. and my kids will teach their kids this is not acceptable. but do you regret your time in russia? it was part of your growing up. it's just... i can't regret about it because without this part, i wouldn't be here with you now. you are very much part of the people beyond ukraine who are trying to help the country. but i wonder if, for you, it becomes an emotional burden in a way — that actually being outside the country is sometimes more difficult than being inside the country? look, since the invasion, i'll be honest with you, first couple of days especially, me and my family, we were like... we were like in space. we didn't know where we are.

we didn't talk with each other. we were always with our phones, you know, following the news and then, like, 0k, what do we need to do? 0k, send money here, send some stuff here, help here people, call the others, bah—bah—bah. we didn't know where we are — like all of us ukrainians living in the country or abroad. but at the same time, like, we felt togetherness like never before. and now, being ukrainian... being ukrainian, ithink it's a very proud moment because i never... i can't be more proudly than i am right now to be ukrainian. and the thing is, like i said to you, what is my duty now? 0k, how can i help as much as i can to my country, to my people over there and all these things? how? being there in ukraine or being here, you know, like, sending some money, sending stuff. i don't know,

like, helping the refugees and all these things. so that was the question. and we decided with our family to carry on, to continue. i know it was like... it was not easy for the rest as well. i'm not comparing myself with the people which is living in ukraine during... ..since the invasion, but i'm just talking about for those which is living abroad. but i feel my duty. i feel my duty that i need to do my best. and every time when i have any opportunity, like now, for example, talking to you, i need to speak out about this. i need to represent my country in the best way i can. and also, like, using this opportunity, once again, i would like to say a massive thanks to all the people which is helping and supporting us, because i know a lot of examples by real life where football players�* families, you know, helping a lot of ukrainian refugees, and it means a lot for me. and, honestly, i can't be grateful enough for that. but once again, i know if some people got fatigue of this war,

i'm so sorry, but we can't — we can't. all of us ukrainians, we can not get any fatigue on that. you fundraise, obviously, for ukraine, but i think you also must be giving money to help, your own money. i don't want to tell you the number. of course, all of us. i don't want to be a special one or to tell you something... no. but of course. of course. but you're in a position to give a lot. yes, exactly. and that's what i have to do. this is my duty. that's why i decided to carry on being here, you know, and... but, i mean... you don't have to answer... yeah. ..but, you know, i imagine it's more than a million. well, it's probably. probably. i would say it's around that, maybe more. i didn't count. you didn't count. since the invasion, we were all of us, especially, like, international players, ukrainian which plays abroad, we had a lot of different group chats in whatsapp, every single link where we need to send,

and we don't count this. but since this invasion, yeah, it must be more. does it ever occur to you that when you speak out, and very passionately, that you yourself might become a target for russia? i never thought about that, to be honest. and might be. i don't know. but how can you speak in 2020s that you are or he is or she is a target for someone? this is incredible, no? this is like we're living in a wild world, or what? so we don't have any rules? what's this, you know? like, this is... this is not... this is... like, even trying to visualise how it can be, this is, for me, something impossible. i don't know. i might be target for them. i don't know. but i'm just trying to say the real truth. i don't understand and i never understand about politics at all. i don't understand about this. and i don't have to.

and this is not my direction. but what i understand clearly is that if you were born and raised in this place and this is your homeland and you know every single stone over there, the other people from the other countries cannot come and destroy everything around and steal everything around and then just occupy this place and stay there forever. i imagine that when you're back in ukraine, you have been to see children, you've been to see families. but tell me what it's like for some of the young children who've lost their family. i give you example that there is one place in ukraine which is called city of kindness... ..and i'm talking quite often, you know, with this lady which organised everything since the invasion. they started with one building which is helping, you know, these kids which lost their parents

during the war and also, you know, for those who lost one of the family members as well. they started with one building. now they're growing quite big, quite a lot, i mean, and they have, i guess, six buildings, also one hospital, which is trying to treat the kids which are struggling with their health. and i'm trying to help as much as i can, you know, every single time. and i'm talking to them, knowing the real numbers — when i ask her how many kids you have at the moment, and she said, like, 300 kids and 80% of them is below five, which don't have parents anymore because of the war, and it's super tough to accept, to be honest. you've got kids of your own under five. exactly. being a dad, it's something like... anything involved with the kids, for me, it's super tough. i'm so sensitive person and... he inhales deeply you know, like, seeing that

videos or pictures of them, how they're trying to play with each other and, like, supporting us while we are playing for the national teams, this is like extra motivation for us. and also i know that there are some kids which is not... ..which is, like, below 18, girls which have been raped by russian soldiers as well. and when you talk to the lady personally and she's saying these stories to me, my heart isjust... my heart wants to explode, because this is something like... this is not what they deserve. instead of living their lives, having some dreams, to achieve these dreams, they... ..they�*re just struggling like that. they're losing their parents. they're losing their family members. and this is... i don't know how to explain. it's super tough.

this summer, of course, your country will see you play in euro 202a. will this have a much bigger significance this year to see the ukraine side? well, during this qualification, all of us, we knew that this is an amazing opportunity for us to qualify for this tournament and to show again how strong we are as a country. and, um... you know, since the invasion especially, while we are wearing ukrainian badge on our chest, this is like extra motivation for us, you know, to bring some more positive emotions to our people, which is supporting us a lot. because like you said as well before the interview to me that all of us ukrainians, we love football so much, so it's another opportunity. it will be another opportunity for us, you know, to talk about ourself to the rest of the world. mm—hm. and to remind the rest of the world

because, of course, you know, the financial concerns of countries are very many and ukraine is but one of them. and i wonder how concerned you are that perhaps some countries will feel, we can't give as much as we've been giving? well, for me, it's a bit super... it's super tough for me to talk about it as a football player because i don't want to be wrong somewhere, because, like i said to you, i'm not political, right? i don't know in terms of, um... ..how much they're helping us, how much they can and all these things. i don't know exactly. but what i know 100% that during this invasion we showed to the rest of the world that we can make the resistance against this aggression, terrorist aggression, and we can win this war. but the only thing is we need support. we need support from the others. and maybe some people realise, maybe some not, but today we are proper shield

for all the europe. we need this to protect our lands, not to occupy it like the other is doing for no reason. this is simple as that. so you don't have to understand anything about politics. it's just simple like that — to protect ourselves. because today it's ukraine, but tomorrow it can be your country. you never know what is in dictator's head. and also showing this resistance, we're showing the other dictators, maybe, in the world, which might think as well that, "oh, it's possible to do that, "why i should not occupy this place, this place, "because there will be no reaction?" that's why we need to show the reaction that this is not acceptable, guys. we need to live in the peace...peace world. after all this is over, many, many ukrainians have settled in other parts of the world, and they probably thought they were going to these parts of the world temporarily, but what if people feel that it's a different country now

and that they don't want to go back? what do you feel about that? well, at some point, i can understand them. but, once again, if you ask me my favourite place in the world, it will be ukraine, because it's my homeland and i neverfelt myself somewhere else like i feel when i'm in ukraine. i really hope and i have a dream that this war will end very, very soon and we can rebuild our ukraine like we really want. and i can guarantee you that when war will end, we will rebuild it in the best way we could. that's for sure. i know. i know also the people which is working now in the president's office, i saw how much they work as well there and, you know, our people, like also with my team—mates in the national team when we're talking about, like, guys, let's imagine the war will end very soon and ourfirst home game in front of our fans.

you know, even now, my skin is... it's so hard to describe these emotions. and i have no doubts about that. but the really, really hope and dream at the moment is that the war will end soon. and i'll give you another example. like, when i was a kid, i used to say, "oh, i'm dreaming to be a football player, "professional," but i didn't have any clue what is this like, how much i need to sacrifice, how much i need to work hard and all these things, but i had a dream and i followed my dream, and this is exactly the same. i have dream that ukraine will rebuild in the best way they can. and i really hope it will be. if you close your eyes, where is the place in ukraine that you see? place? yeah. what's your favourite place that you see? kyiv. kyiv, straight away. the best place in the world. what's the message that you have for people in ukraine who might be listening to this broadcast? well, the message is clear

that i'm so proud of all of you and i know that one day it will end soon. and now is the time to be together again, again and again. we can't give up. and the only message also i would like to say that we are not alone. all the people in europe, they are all with us. that means a lot for us. that's why, if we're going to give up, then we are all in trouble. we have no other option. we have to carry on and we need to stick together. this is the only way to beat this russian aggression, and we can do it. we already showed this during this invasion to the rest of the world, and we've shown to ourselves as well that we can do it, but only together. help each other as much as we can. i don't know, by anything. like i used to say, if you can donate, perfect. if you cannot donate anything, no problem at all. even a sticker on your car. when i'm driving to the training ground, i can see some stickers that "i stay with the ukraine,"

"stand with ukraine" or something. for me, it already means a lot, so that shows that people are with us. and even this charity game for ukraine, which we did recently in august, look how many big, big names came there, and that means we are not alone. this is my message to the rest. thank you very much indeed. thank you so much. a pleasure. hello there. some really chilly—feeling air for the time of year, and it's going nowhere for the next couple of days. but of course, the sunshine�*s helping to lift the temperature somewhat. lots of blue sky across many parts of scotland, 13 celsius in edinburgh, butjust seven degrees for these north sea facing coasts such as scarborough. lots of cloud, and a brisk, a bitter northerly wind blowing, too. and as we head through the rest of tonight, there's a little

feature running southwards bringing the threat of some further showers, possibly wintry over the hills of scotland. temperatures dipping very close to freezing into thursday morning. watch out for some icy stretches, perhaps. and it's still blustery for those north sea facing coasts, and across the northern isles as well. a mixture of sunny spells, but also some showers across many northern areas of england, scotland and northern ireland. more cloud and some showers pushing southwards across england and wales. temperatures again towards the east, just 8—10 degrees celsius, but a little milder again further south and west. now, as we head through thursday night, then there'll be a lot of clear spells around. again, it's another cold feeling night for the time of year, the snow levels again dropping across parts of scotland. another frost for many of us as we head into friday morning. again, watch out for some icy stretches here and there. friday, we'll start to see a few changes. this area of low pressure starts to push in to south west england, affecting parts of the channel islands as well, bringing some more showery

outbreaks of rain here. and the winds will fall lighter as well, so it won't feel quite so bitterly cold towards those north sea facing coast. but still, the bulk of the showers will be here. a scattering of showers, also some sunny spells, probably sunniest out towards the north and the west again. but temperatures still very low for the time of year, below the average, 8—12 degrees celsius for most of us. things are set to turn a little less cold, though, as we head through the weekend. some milderfeeling air. and it's going to be quite unsettled, tending to be drier in the north and the west. so, if we just look at this low pressure system. it's spinning in from the south. it's going to give plenty of wet weather, particularly towards the south and the east, but also some milder feeling conditions. temperatures will rise to more or less the seasonal average. so certainly no heat wave. here's the temperature outlook for our capital cities as we head through the weekend and into the start of next week. so not as cold, but really quite showery. bye— bye.

live from washington. this is bbc news. israel says it's moving forward with preparations for a ground operation in gaza's southern—most city, rafah. iam in i am in los angeles where pro— palestinian protests led to clashes with police as tensions escalate on campuses across the us. arizona's attorney general announces charges in an investigation into a scheme to re—elect former president trump in 2020. hello, i'm caitriona perry. you're very welcome. israeli officials have confirmed they are moving ahead with plans for a military assault on the city of rafah in southern gaza. israel says it hopes to launch an assault on the several hamas

battalions remaining in rafah. however, aid groups and western allies have warned israel not