‘We will fight in the forest, on the field, on the street’, an unprecedented speech by the British Parliament
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an unprecedented speech to UK MPs in the House of Commons. He gave the speech via video link from Kiev at 11 pm Bangladesh time on Tuesday.
Speaking via video link, he welcomed the sanctions on Russia but reiterated his call for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “We will fight in the forest, on the field, on the shore, on the road,” he said, quoting a famous quote from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II. In his speech two weeks after the start of the Russian-led invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky quoted William Shakespeare, thanked Boris Johnson and called for sanctions to be lifted.
This is the first time a foreign leader has addressed an MP in the British Parliament. “We will not give up and we will not lose,” he said. We will continue to fight for our land, no matter what. ‘ Members of the British Parliament were in complete silence during his speech.
Among those listening to the translation on headsets were senior cabinet ministers and members of the opposition. Before the speech began, they stood up and congratulated Zelensky. Westminster has been debating whether the government has made significant progress in helping people fleeing Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russian elites. But there has been widespread disagreement in the British Parliament over Russia’s opposition and support for Ukraine.
