Zelensky criticized NATO countries for refusing to enforce a no-fly zone over his country, and also said that he would not yield to the Russians just like the British people stood up to them.
Zelensky said during a video address to the House of Commons that the alliance does not work well.
Zelensky pointed out that women and children continue to be killed in the interim despite the West's refusal to do more to repel the Russian invasion.
While countries in the alliance are sending lethal aid like anti-aircraft missiles and sniper rifles, they have stopped short of entering the war zone because Ukraine is not a NATO member.
President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and other top NATO leaders have repeatedly ruled out declaring a no-fly zone, a move that Putin warned would be construed as participation in the war. It would require Western nations to shoot down Russian aircraft in order to support such an action, so NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declined to support it. This could lead to an active shooting war between the world's two largest nuclear powers.
Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and members of Parliament gave Zelensky a rousing standing ovation after he spoke. It is a violation of Parliament's rules for members to applaud.
—Duncan Baker (@duncancbaker) March 8, 2022
The floor of the House of Commons was filled with MPs wearing headphones for simultaneous translation. The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK was welcomed by the Speaker.
Some MPs wore blue and yellow, while others wore blue and yellow ribbons and ties, with one wearing a ribbon next to the medal she received for her service to the country.
Zelensky said that the answer to the famous question of "To be or Not to be" can be found in the modern equivalent of Prime Minister Winston Churchill's own words.
The nation would never surrender to Hitler and the Third Reich, as was declared by Churchill. It is one of the most famous addresses in history, and it was given before the House of Commons in 1940. His speech came at a time when the US remained out of the picture. British troops barely evacuated Dunkirk before Germany began its bombing campaign of London.
Zelensky said that the words the United Kingdom have already heard are important again. We will fight until the end at sea and in the air, we will continue to fight for our land. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores and in the streets.
Zelensky is standing firm for democracy and freedom from the great European capital of Kyiv and now within range of Russian guns.
One of the proudest boasts in the free world is: "I am a Ukrainian", he said.
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