Addressing French parliament, Zelensky calls for more military aid

By AP 23 March 2022, 5:25 pm

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In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with Pope Francis on a phone call from Kyiv, Ukraine, March 22, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

PARIS — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky thanks French President Emmanuel Macron for his “true leadership” over the war during a virtual address from Kyiv to the French parliament.

Zelensky uses the address to French MPs via video link to rally further European support for his war-torn country’s efforts to stave off Russian aggression.

He calls on France for assistance with arms, equipment, and more planes “so that liberty does not slip away,” according to a French translation of the 20-minute speech.

Using often-emotive language, the Ukrainian leader tells French lawmakers “you know who the guilty one is” that “buries his head in the sand.”

The speech comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron talked with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the terms of a potential ceasefire.

Though they reached “no agreement,” according to the French presidency, Macron “remains convinced of the need to continue his efforts” and he “stands alongside Ukraine.”

Zelensky has been a regular fixture in recent weeks in international lawmaking chambers, having spoken Japan’s parliament earlier Wednesday, and previously to the US Congress and the German Parliament, to harness international help.