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Zelenska said there are countless stories that have inspired her, though one, in particular, involved a maternity nurse in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol.

\"She continued working, despite all those shelling,\" she said. \"There was no water supplies. There was no electricity supply. And she kept on working until that maternity hospital was completely destroyed.\"

The nurse, Tatiana, helped deliver 27 newborns during that time, Zelenska said.

\"PHOTO:
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP, FILE
PHOTO: A medical worker walks through the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022.
>

Another story of heroism involved a 15-year-old girl named Leeza who helped evacuate four people from a village in eastern Ukraine even after both her legs were wounded during shelling.

\"When I saw her on the news report ... that was the face of a child,\" Zelenska said. \"And still, she found the courage to keep on driving.\"

Addressing trauma

For all the stories of unity and heroism, Zelenska noted that the war has been deadly for Ukraine's children. As of Wednesday, 243 children have been killed as a result of the conflict, she said.

June 4 marks the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, as commemorated by the United Nations.

\"Unfortunately, this year we will be marking this event,\" the first lady said.

Children have also been traumatized by the war; Zelenska recounted hearing about two boys who saw their mother killed in front of them, and then had to bury her themselves.

\"We need to help people to live that through. We need to help people psychologically, mentally, in whatever ways possible,\" she said.

\"PHOTO:
Rodrigo Abd/AP, FILE
PHOTO: Soldiers walk amid destroyed Russian tanks in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 3, 2022.
>

To that end, she is introducing a national program to provide mental health support for those impacted by the war's \"atrocities,\" she said.

\"The medical institutions and medical system as we have it right now, it might simply be not enough to cover all the needs,\" she said. \"That's why we need to be prepared.\"

Another challenge will be getting Ukrainians who might not be used to seeking mental health support to avail themselves of this help, she said.

\"Even the parents, they might not recognize that their child is having a problem, is having some sort of PTSD,\" she said.

Global support

Zelenska discussed the \"enormous support\" Ukraine has felt from across the globe amid the war -- before the interview was interrupted by an air raid siren.

\"It's really important, because you feel you're not alone,\" she said once the interview was able to safely resume.

First lady Jill Biden's surprise visit to western Ukraine last month was another \"tremendous\" sign of support, Zelenska said.

\"I finally managed to see her face-to-face, and it was a tremendously courageous action that she has made,\" Zelenska said. \"She came to the country which is at war, and the people of Ukraine, they highly appreciated that.\"

This week, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will be sending Ukraine more sophisticated military equipment as part of a $700 million package of security assistance. The move comes following calls from Zelenskyy last month for long-range rocket systems to \"allow the defeat of tyranny.\"

Zelenska said they are grateful for the humanitarian and security assistance Ukraine has received so far, and that they \"hope and wait for more assistance to come.\"

\"PHOTO:
Press Service of the Office of the President of Ukraine
PHOTO: Robin Roberts' speaks with Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Ukraine, June 1, 2022.
>

As the war continues, another difficult question Zelenska finds herself unable to answer is what message she would give to the Russian people.

\"Whenever we are trying to ask them a question or relay any message, they tend to answer that we have other information. ... Or they might be saying that we have other viewpoints on the situation,\" she said. \"But how can you have any other view on those killings? On those atrocities committed?\"

In a message to the American people, she implored them to \"not get used to this war.\"

\"Otherwise, we are risking a never-ending war and this is not something we would like to have,\" she said. \"Don't get used to our pain.\"

The interview with Zelenska will air Thursday on \"Good Morning America\" and across ABC News. \"Good Morning America\" airs at 7 a.m. on ABC.

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