Zelensky tells Canadian Parliament to 'do more' to help Ukraine in impassioned speech
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with the Canadian Parliament for more assistance Tuesday as he again asked Western nations to implement a no-fly zone over his besieged country.
“All friends of the truth, please understand how important it is for us to close our airspace from Russian missiles and Russian aircraft,” Zelensky said in his virtual address. “You all need to do more to stop Russia, to protect Ukraine and by doing that to protect Europe from Russian threat.”
Zelensky opened by asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau what he would tell his children if they woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Russian bombs destroying everything around them.
“Justin, can you imagine hearing — you, your children — hear all these severe explosions?” Zelensky said directly to Trudeau. “Can you imagine that? Cruise missiles falling down on your territory, and your children asking you, ‘What happened?’”
After Zelensky’s speech, members of the Canadian Parliament, including Trudeau, stood and applauded for close to three minutes.
Before Zelensky spoke, Trudeau said Canada — a member of NATO — would continue to support Ukraine.
“Ukrainians are standing up to authoritarianism,” he said. “And as parliamentarians united in this house today, and all Canadians, we stand with you as friends, you can count on our unwavering and steadfast support.”
But most NATO nations say it would be unfeasible to set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which would require members of the alliance to attack invading Russian forces.
“I want to be clear: We will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full might of a united and galvanized NATO,” President Biden tweeted on March 11. “But we will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. A direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War III. And something we must strive to prevent.”
On Monday, Estonia became the first NATO member to call for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Estonia shares a border with Russia.
Zelensky is scheduled to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday morning in a rare joint session.
