Russia-Ukraine crisis:Ukrainian president urges politicians who have fled the country to return telling them to “stand side by side” with the Ukrainian people
Zelenskiy urges Ukrainian politicians and business leaders who fled country to return
KYIV, TGO: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has addressed the nation ahead of a planned “day of unity” in Ukraine on Wednesday as Western officials believe the moment Vladimir Putin will order an attack on is imminent.
Ukraine’s president has urged politicians and business leaders who have recently fled the country to return within 24 hours – telling them it is their “direct duty” to “stand side by side” with the Ukrainian people as fears grow of a Russian invasion.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a speech to the nation on Monday night ahead of a planned “day of unity” in Ukraine on Wednesday.
He addressed the country as Western officials believe the moment Russian President Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine is imminent.
In a message to politicians who have fled Ukraine during the crisis, Mr Zelenskyy said on Monday night: “I address separately all representatives of the state: civil servants, people’s deputies of all levels who have fled the country or plan to do so.
“The people of Ukraine have entrusted you not only to govern the state, but also to protect it. It is your direct duty in this situation to be with us, with the Ukrainian people. I urge you to return to your homeland within 24 hours and stand side by side with the Ukrainian army, diplomacy and people.”
‘Return to your people and your country’
Mr Zelenskyy also addressed business leaders who have left Ukraine “at the most crucial moment”, telling them: “Your strength is not in your money and planes, but in the civic position you can show.
“Return to your people and the country due to which you got your factories and wealth. Today, everyone passes a real test for a citizen of Ukraine. Pass it with dignity. Let everyone understand for whom Ukraine is really the homeland, and for whom it is just a platform for money-making.”
In the speech, which was aired on Facebook, the Ukrainian president told his people war is being “systematically waged” against the county “on all fronts”.
He said: “On the military one, they increase the contingent around the border. On the diplomatic one, they are trying to deprive us of the right to determine our own foreign policy course. On the energy one, they limit the supply of gas, electricity and coal. On the information one, they seek to spread panic among citizens and investors through the media.”
Ukraine’s ‘day of unity’
His comments reference how Russia has amassed some 130,000 troops around Ukraine’s borders and off its coast, the biggest mobilisation of combat forces in Europe since the end of the Cold War in 1989.
On the diplomatic front, Mr Zelenskyy was referring to how Moscow is working to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
The Ukrainian president tried to comfort his people by saying that despite the threats it is facing, the country’s army is “many times stronger than eight years ago”, when Russia invaded and annexed the Crimea region in 2014.
Mr Zelenskyy later said Ukraine will mark a “day of unity” on Wednesday – in an apparent swipe at media reports in the country which suggested Russia will invade that day.
He had earlier urged Ukrainian journalists to “work for Ukraine” and not the media owners who have “already fled their own country”.
Mr Zelenskyy said people will “hoist national flags, put on blue and yellow ribbons and show the world our unity” on Wednesday.
Significant sanctions if Russia invades
The Ukrainian leader’s speech comes after Boris Johnson and Joe Biden warned any incursion into Ukraine would result in a “protracted crisis” for Moscow with “far-reaching damage for both Russia and the world”.
The UK prime minister and the US president held a 40-minute phone call on the crisis, and called on Western allies to “remain united in the face of Russian threats”.
According to a Downing Street readout of their conversation, the pair agreed there would be a “significant package of sanctions should Russian aggression escalate”.
But they also said there remained a “crucial window for diplomacy” with Russia and a chance for Moscow to “step back from its threats” towards Ukraine.
