London, (Parliament Politics Magazine) – President Zelensky has made history by becoming the first foreign leader to address UK Members of Parliament directly in the House of Commons.
The Ukrainian president appeared via video link from the capital of Kyiv, where he pledged that Ukraine would continue to fight against the Russian invasion. During his address, the president quoted Winston Churchill’s famous 1940 “we will never surrender” speech, saying, “We will fight to the end at the sea, in the air, we will continue to fight for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.”
President Zelensky also thanked British politicians for introducing harsh economic sanctions against Russia but said this was not enough, reinstating that a no-fly zone must be established over Ukraine. However, many world leaders worry that this would only escalate the conflict further, resulting in greater violence across Europe. During the address, the house sat in an unusual silence as MP’s listened to the president’s speech, until the very end when the entirety of the House of Commons rose to its feet and applauded President Zelensky’s words, a practice technically banned in the parliamentary code but waved in moments of extreme significance.
In response to the president’s speech, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this: “On a point of order, with your permission Mr Speaker, may I say that never before, in all our centuries of parliamentary democracy, has the House listened to such an address.” “In a great European capital, now within range of Russian guns, President Voldymyr Zelenskyy is standing firm for democracy and freedom, in his righteous defiance I believe he has moved the hearts of everybody in this House.”
“At this moment, ordinary Ukrainians are defending their homes and their families against a brutal assault, and they are by their actions inspiring millions with their courage and their devotion.”
Leader of the opposition Sir Kier Starmer said that “every one of us has been moved by the bravery, the resolve and the leadership” of President Zelensky, continuing that “he has reminded us that our freedom and our democracy are invaluable”. An uncommon episode of political consensus in the UK’s parliament truly demonstrates the unprecedented times we are witnessing.