Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Russia's war on his country was "reminiscent of World War II, when Nazi aggression threatened the lives of entire nations."
Zelensky made the comparison during an address delivered to lawmakers in Luxembourg. Appearing via video, the leader thanked the country for providing Ukraine with weapons for its continuing conflict with Russia that will reach the 100-day mark on Friday.
Zelensky's remarks came a day after the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that a total of 4,149 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia launched its military attack on February 24. The U.N. also said 4,945 Ukrainian civilians have been injured while adding that the actual figures for both counts could be "considerably higher."
Noting that he was especially appreciative toward Luxembourg for its support because it does not have "large military depots or significant defense industry," Zelensky discussed why he feels the international community should band together against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We understand that no one will be able to stay away and avoid being affected when a catastrophe of such enormity occurs in the world because of the Russian state," Zelensky said.
He continued, "It is reminiscent of World War II, when Nazi aggression threatened the lives of entire nations. Therefore, we must significantly increase the pressure on Russia to stop this catastrophe and prevent such aggressions in the future."
Zelensky said Russian troops currently control approximately 20 percent of Ukraine, which he said equates to almost 125 thousand square kilometers. He also said around "12 million Ukrainians have become internally displaced persons" and "[m]ore than 5 million, mostly women and children, have gone abroad." The numbers he cited were consistent with recent U.N. reports.
Luxembourg announced in May it would send defensive weapons to Ukraine. The country is one of many nations providing armaments to Ukraine. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. would add to the supplies it has already sent to Ukraine by providing Zelensky's forces with an undisclosed amount of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
During a joint news conference on Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the alliance's backing of Ukraine in defending itself against Russia and the high cost of such efforts. He said if Putin were to win the war, "the price we'd have to pay would actually be higher than to now invest in the support for Ukraine."
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
DopeDealerCisco on June 2nd, 2022 at 19:35 UTC »
It’s hard to disagree; they moved on a country without Casus Belli to start a war and have been mass executing Ukrainian civilians
Edit: spelling
joefred111 on June 2nd, 2022 at 18:07 UTC »
Wow, this comments section is a dumpster fire.
Russia taking pieces of Ukraine before an all-out invasion is no different, at all, than what Germany did to Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. First it was to protect the "ethnic Germans" in the Sudetenland, then it was taking the Czech half "to defend itself," then it was the Slovakian half, because why not.
Putin has been doing the exact same thing for twenty years, maybe under the assumption that people will just forget about it over time. The entire country's leadership is acting like pre-WWII Nazi Germany, and to compare that to Ukraine is preposterous.
And then here come the bots, trolls, hacked accounts, and useful idiots talking about "Azov this" and "Ukraine that." As if a small territorial defense group somehow represents the whole of Ukraine, and as if this small group somehow justifies Russia's unwarranted invasion and the murder, forced disappearances, and rapes in Ukraine.
Ya'll need help.
BillSeacaster on June 2nd, 2022 at 16:32 UTC »
Oh come on now, that's ridiculous.
The Nazis actually conquered countries.