“No one is going to break us,” Volodymyr Zelensky told the European Parliament this morning. “We are strong. We are Ukrainians.”
Speaking via video link from Kyiv while dressed in a simple olive-drab T-shirt, the Ukrainian president told the assembled members, “We are fighting for our rights, for our freedoms, for life, for our life, and now we are fighting for survival.”
You can watch the seven-minute speech here, with an English translation.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine wished to join the EU, and soon. Yesterday, in an open letter, the presidents of EU member states Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic called for Ukraine to be granted fast-track membership.
In an unprecedented move, the EU has announced that it will authorize €500 million (or some $450 million) in direct military aid to Ukraine.
The address came hard on the heels of a Russian missile strike in the eastern city of Kharkiv that caused many civilian casualties and significant damage to Kharkiv’s Freedom Square.
Zelensky’s response:
Can you imagine!? This morning two cruise missiles hit this Freedom Square, dozens of killed. This is the price of freedom . . . Believe you me, every square today, no matter what it’s called, is going to be called “Freedom Square” — in every city of our country.
You can watch that emotional moment here, when even the interpreter struggled to maintain his composure:
Translator chokes up as Zelensky addresses the European Parliament: "Nobody is going to break us. We are strong. We are Ukrainians. We have a desire to see our children alive. I think it's a fair one." pic.twitter.com/AqOzmMPuFx
— Zach Basu (@zacharybasu) March 1, 2022
“Do prove that you are with us,” Zelensky admonished the parliament. “Do prove that you will not let us go. Do prove that you are indeed Europeans.”
“And then life will win over death and light will win over darkness. Glory be to Ukraine!” Zelensky cried out.
He received a standing ovation.