Today, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky accused Germany of putting its economy above the security of its country before the Russian invasion, the Associated Press reports. In his address to the German parliament, Zelensky criticized the German government’s support for the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. Ukraine and other countries have criticized the project, warning that it threatens the security of Ukraine and Europe, the AP notes.
Zelensky also noted Germany’s hesitation when it came to imposing some of the toughest sanctions against Russia for fear that they would harm the German economy.
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Recalling the Berlin Wall, which once divided the German capital, the Ukrainian leader called on Germany not to allow another wall to divide Europe and called on Berlin to support Kyiv’s desire to join the EU and NATO.
“Dear Chancellor Scholz, tear down this wall, give Germany the role of leader it deserves,” Zelensky said in an address to the German parliament. He thus referred to Ronald Reagan, who two years before the fall of the Berlin Wall addressed the then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev with the words: “Let’s tear down this wall!”.
A new wall between freedom and non-freedom is being built in central Europe, Zelensky was quoted as saying by Reuters. “And this wall is becoming more and more with each bomb that falls on Ukraine, with each unaccepted decision,” the Ukrainian president added. He said Berlin had helped build this new dividing line by isolating Ukraine through its business ties with Russia and previous support for the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.
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Zelensky called for more support for his country, saying thousands of people had died in the war, which began less than a month ago. Among the victims were 108 children, he said. Speaking about the difficult situation in besieged Mariupol, the Ukrainian leader said that “everything is a target” for the Russians. Even “the theater where hundreds of people hid was wiped off the face of the earth yesterday,” he said.
As before, when Zelensky addressed the US Congress, the audience applauded the Ukrainian president, standing in front of his speech, which lasted ten minutes.
Scholz’s government continues to oppose a boycott of Russian gas and oil imports that Kyiv is pushing for, AFP reports.