Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an online speech at the British Parliament on March 8.
In analogy to the speech given by then Prime Minister Churchill in 1940 during World War II, it attracted attention not only from Britain but also from all over the world.
What did President Zelensky say?
The full speech is as follows:
Chairman, Prime Minister, Government, Parliament.
I appeal to all people in England.
To the people of a country with a great history.
I also sue as a citizen and president of a great country.
Have big dreams and struggles.
I want to talk about our 13 days.
About the ongoing 13-day fierce war that we didn't start or hope for.
Because we don't want to lose our Ukraine.
Just as the Nazis didn't want to lose their country when they were preparing to start a battle against your great country, Britain.
A missile flew at 4 am on the first day.
The children, all of us, all of Ukraine, everyone woke up.
I haven't slept since then.
We all took the weapon.
And it became a big army.
On the second day, we were repelling attacks in the air, land and sea.
And our heroic border guards on Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea taught us how to end the war.
In other words, what the enemy should be.
They replied when a Russian ship demanded that our border guards place their weapons.
It was an expression that couldn't be said in Congress (he said, "Russian warship, go to hell").
We felt the power there.
I felt the great power of our people to hunt down the occupiers to the end.
On the third day, Russian troops were bombarding the general public and apartment buildings.
With artillery.
With a bomb.
And that action finally allowed us and the whole world to determine who they are.
Who are humans and who are just beasts?
On the fourth day, we did not lose dignity when we already began to capture dozens of Russian prisoners of war.
And he never ridiculed Russian prisoners of war.
We treat them as people.
Because on the fourth day of this shameful war we remained human.
On the fifth day, terrorism against us was already bold.
For cities, for small towns.
The destroyed area.
Bombing, bombing, bombing.
Bombing homes, schools and hospitals.
This is a genocide.
But we couldn't destroy us.
It mobilized each and every one of the people and made us feel the truth.
On the sixth day, a Russian missile fell into a valley in Kyiv called Babin Yar.
This is where the Nazis executed 100,000 people during World War II.
Eighty years later, Russia killed them again.
On the seventh day, they noticed that they were even destroying the church.
With a bomb.
Use rockets again.
They do not know the sacred and great things we know.
On the eighth day, the world witnessed Russian tanks targeting nuclear power plants.
It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
And the world began to understand that this was terrorism against the whole world.
This is a big terrorist attack.
On the 9th day, there was a meeting of NATO countries.
But it wasn't the desired result for us.
Have no guts.
We felt that way.
I don't want to offend anyone, but we felt the alliance wasn't working.
They can't even block the sky.
Therefore, Europe's security needs to be built from scratch.
On the 10th day, Ukrainians without weapons were protesting everywhere in the occupied cities.
While stopping the armored car with bare hands.
We can no longer break us.
Day 11, the day the residential area was already bombed, the day the explosion destroyed everything, and the day the children evacuated from the destroyed childhood cancer hospital.
We noticed the following:
Ukrainians have become heroes.
Hundreds of thousands of people.
Of all cities.
Children, adults, everyone.
On the twelfth day, when the loss of Russian troops had already exceeded 10,000 deaths, Russian generals were also counted as dead.
As a result, the following became clear.
The day will come when Russia will take responsibility for all crimes and for all shameful orders.
By the International Court of Justice, or by Ukrainian weapons.
On the 13th day, a child died in Mariupol, which was blocked by Russian troops.
With dehydration.
They do not give food or water to the citizens.
Citizens are trapped and hidden in the basement.
You can hear it, the citizens hiding there don't even have water.
In the 13 days of the Russian invasion, 50 children were killed.
50 great martyrs.
This is scary.
My heart is empty.
Fifty universes could live, but they took their lives.
I just robbed it.
Everyone in England.
Ukraine didn't want that.
I didn't want to be great.
But in this war Ukraine became a great country.
Ukraine saves people during the terrorist attacks of the occupiers.
Continue to protect their freedom from the attacks of one of the largest troops in the world.
We continue to protect it in the unblocked sky.
An unblocked sky against Russian missiles, planes and helicopters.
"Should I live or die?"
I think you are familiar with Shakespeare's words.
Thirteen days ago, this question could still be raised in Ukraine.
However it is different now.
The answer is clearly "to live".
Obviously, you should be free.
And remember the words that Britain has already heard.
This word has meaning again.
We will not give up, we will not lose.
I will fight to the end.
We fight in the sea, in the sky, and protect our territory no matter how much we sacrifice.
We continue to fight in the woods, in the fields, on the coast, in cities and villages, in the streets and in the hills.
And I want to add.
We fight in the mountains, on the Kal'mius and Dnieper rivers.
And we will not give up.
Of course, with your help, with the help of civilizations of great nations.
We appreciate your support.
And I am especially grateful to you, my friend Boris (Prime Minister Johnson).
Strengthen sanctions against terrorist states.
Recognize it as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Find a way to secure the Ukrainian sky.
Do as much as you can.
Do what you need to do.
Your people and nations are great and fulfill their obligations.
Glory to the great Ukraine.
Glory to England.