“Ukraine is the gate for the Russian army and they want to enter Europe, but barbarism must not enter.” After the video connections with the arlamenti of Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Germany and Israel, the Ukrainian President Zelensky speaks from Kiev to the Italian Chambers, gathered in Montecitorio. A standing ovation from the Italian parliamentarians welcomed the live image of him projected on the videos of the Chamber of the Chamber. Shortly before, Pope Francis had called Zelensky on the phone who invited him to Ukraine during the conversation. After the intervention of the Ukrainian president, Prime Minister Mario Draghi took the floor and said: “Italy wants Ukraine to join the European Union”.
Mariupol like Genoa, imagine it destroyed
“The Russian invasion is destroying families, the war continues to devastate Ukrainian cities, some are completely destroyed like Mariupol, which had half a million inhabitants, is like Genoa, imagine Genoa completely burned” said the Ukrainian president who, as in the on the previous speeches to Western parliaments, he has shown great effectiveness in the choice of images and quotes. Listening to his speech (12 minutes in all) was the President of the Senate Elisabetta Casellati, that of the House Roberto Fico, Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the Ukrainian ambassador, Yaroslav Melnyk, and the parliamentarians. Not all of them, however. Some, in fact, miss the appointment, either because in open controversy with the initiative, or to mark, more concealed, a personal distinction with respect to the position on war taken by Italy and its main political parties.
“Ukraine is a gate, barbarism does not enter the EU”
“Ukraine is the gate for the Russian army and they want to enter Europe, but barbarism must not enter” said Zelensky who thanked Italy “for the help to the Ukrainians, more than 70 thousand have been forced to flee, more than 25 thousand children. In Italy the first Ukrainian child was born to a mother who escaped the war caused by a single person, dozens of children are in your hospitals and we are grateful to you. From the first day you shared our pain, helped the Ukrainians with your warmth and your strength ». But the president of Ukraine also stressed that “the invasion has been going on for 27 days, almost a month: we need other sanctions, other pressures”.
Draghi: Italy wants it in the EU
After the brief speeches by the Presidents of the Chamber and Senate, Prime Minister Draghi also spoke (who on Wednesday 23 March will be back in Montecitorio and Palazzo Madama for communications in view of the next European Council, a crucial appointment that will determine the next moves of the EU on the humanitarian, sanctioning and energy front). «We want to draw a path of greater closeness of Ukraine to Europe: it is a long process made up of necessary reforms. Italy is alongside Ukraine in this process. Italy wants Ukraine to join the European Union, ”the Italian premier said. “In the face of incivility we do not turn the other way” he assured him and then underlined that “Today Ukraine is not only defending itself but our peace, freedom and security”. Draghi then acknowledged that “the Ukrainian resistance” in “all the places where President Putin’s ferocity falls is heroic”