KYIV, Ukraine — Wait. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s war chief, holding a puppy? Yes, and it’s no accident. In a collision of dog lovers, sports and ongoing war with Russia, the Ukrainian president was seen on video Tuesday as never before -- cuddling and cooing over a floppy, three-month-old American pit bull terrier, handed to him by U.S. former boxer Terence Crawford. The cute and fluffy scene in Zelenskyy’s office in Kyiv was the latest volley in a deadly serious battle of visuals that runs in parallel to Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s brutal four-year invasion. Crawford, a longtime supporter of Ukraine and a devotee of the American pit bull terrier, came forward and handed a reddish-yellow puppy to Zelenskyy. And for a few minutes in Kyiv, cultures, death and geopolitics yielded to the power of sweetness and puppy love, as well as the symbolism of resilience and protection. A happy, floppy puppy belies a more serious backdrop It’s a truism of the political world: If you want a friend, get a dog. Zelenskyy, weighed down by war and scandal, seemed to have found both in the light-eyed puppy that melted into his chest. The president smiled and cooed something into the dog’s fur. He cradled her as he was told the pup’s name is Freya -- after Zelenskyy’s pet project, Freyja, Ukraine’s proposed missile defense system with European allies. He was further informed that Freya’s grandfather survived the devastating Russian siege of Bucha in 2022. Zelenskyy cuddled the pup close as they posed for photos. She appeared to relax, letting two white-tipped paws dangle from Zelenskyy’s arms. “The president said he would accept” Freya, said Vadym Danylchenko, adviser to the minister of youth and sports in Ukraine, who helped organize the visit. Politically and culturally, it might have been problematic to refuse. Animals have become a symbol of the nation’s forbearance during the four-year war. One mural in a Kyiv park immortalizes a Jack Russell terrier named Patrone who is renowned for assisting mine-clearing teams in the northern Chernihiv district and became a mascot for Ukraine’s emergency services. Zelenskyy awarded him a state medal. UNICEF recognized the pup as the first “Goodwill AmbassaDOG.” Another mural depicts volunteer fighter Oleksii Movchan, holding a gray-and-white cat. He and three fellow soldiers rescued 11 civilians and the cat in the eastern Donetsk region shortly before being killed by Russian shelling in 2022. Stories abound of others going to great lengths to rescue Ukraine’s animals during the Russian invasion, including one Ukrainian woman who worked to save hundreds from the war by shipping some to safer western Ukraine and others overseas. The politics of nations hovers Then there’s the fraught matter of American support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy was famously dressed down by U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance last year in the Oval Office, though the leaders have appeared to have mended fences since then. But in Zelenskyy’s office on Tuesday, an American sports hero was handing him an American dog breed. Zelenskyy embraced the love. Freya is the granddaughter of Athos -- a dog who survived the Russian brutality in Bucha and was found on the street where Ukrainian forces destroyed a large Russian convoy, Danylchenko told The Associated Press in an interview. Through rescuers, Athos made his way to Crawford’s friend Francisco Lopez, a professional breeder and longtime Ukraine supporter in America. Athos’ daughter had been left behind in Ukraine. Lopez flew an unrelated male dog to Ukraine to mate with Athos’ daughter. She gave birth to Freya. The puppy’s name has a particular resonance in Ukraine. European nations are developing the antiballistic missile defense system with Ukraine amid shortages, particularly of American-made Patriot interceptors. Patriot interceptors are in shorter supply as the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran continues to rage, and Trump last month appeared to back away from a recent commitment to give Ukraine a license to produce them. “Terence really wanted to give the president this particular female puppy,” said Danylchenko, who said he wasn’t initially supportive of giving the president a gift laden with such responsibility. “They named her Freya. Obviously, from the perspective of our country’s future, this was important,” he added. “This little girl is a symbol of the fact that her grandfather survived and was a direct witness to the events in Bucha. So it was very symbolic for them.” ___ Kellman reported from London. Laurie Kellman and Volodymyr Yurchuk, The Associated Press
