President Zelenskyy tells Italian parliament of situation in Mariupol

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Italian parliament of the horrors of the ongoing Russian attack in Mariupol in a joint session via video conference on Tuesday.

“We are deeply grateful to Italy. The solidarity shown to our people is enormous”, Zelenskyy told lawmakers on Tuesday (22 March).

“Tens of thousands of families have been destroyed, dead are being buried in mass graves, the Russian invasion is destroying our Country, our people have become an army”, he added.

The crowd of deputies and senators responded with a standing ovation.

Zelenskyy spoke about the dramatic situation in the city of Mariupol. “Imagine Genoa completely razed to the ground: this is how Mariupol is now”, he told them.

The Ukrainian president tried to make Italian lawmakers more committed to supporting Ukraine against Russia. Notably, he did not mention the NATO annexation and the no-fly-zone issues he repeatedly asked for in the previous days.

Before today, only two heads of State had ever given a speech to assembled parliamentarians, as reported by the Post.it. Some parliamentarians decided not to attend the address (some from the Five Star Movement, Matteo Salvini’s Lega and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia mainly) mainly because they disagree with Prime Minister Mario Draghi on measures adopted to deal with the Ukrainian crisis.

Prior to the speech, Zelensky spoke with Pope Francis, whom he has asked to mediate for peace. The Pope assured him that every possible effort would be made, even if “in order for this effort to be made, the agreement of both parties is needed, and this agreement is still lacking.”