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Topics: Russia, Ukraine, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck
President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on foreigners to join the fight against 'Russian war criminals' as the invasion continues to escalate.
In an address given yesterday, February 26, the Ukrainian president appealed to 'friends' of the country to help defend it against Vladimir Putin's forces, which first invaded on Thursday, February 24.
Zelensky has since also taken to social media to issue a call to citizens from abroad to come and fight 'side-by-side' with Ukrainians against the Russians, who he branded as 'the 21st century terrorists'.
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The Facebook post explained that Zelensky was 'addressing all citizens of the world, friends of Ukraine, peace and democracy'.
'Anyone who wants to join the defence of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals,' he wrote.
The Ukrainian President also commented, per CNN: 'Ukrainians have manifested the courage to defend their homeland and save Europe and its values from a Russian onslaught. This is not just Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is the beginning of a war against Europe, against European structures, against democracy, against basic human rights, against a global order of law, rules and peaceful coexistence.'
In a later post, it was noted that a separate division of fighters would be formed for foreign allies called 'the International Legion for the Territorial Defence of Ukraine'.
The statement also clarified that citizens from other countries wanting to join its defences should contact the Defence Attache of the Embassy of Ukraine in their country.
The foreign minister for Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, took to Twitter to echo Zelensky's statement.
He wrote: 'Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries. Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin, too.'
In his previous call out to foreign citizens, Zelensky declared that anyone who wanted to join Ukraine in defending the country would also be provided with weapons.
The call to foreigners follows Zelensky's previous accusation of the European Union having an insufficient reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The EU announced that it was assessing the 'strongest, harshest package of sanctions' against Russia, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden both revealed new sanctions, which included the UK and US freezing all Russian assets on VTB bank.
In the latest update to sanctions imposed on Russia, G7 and NATO allies have also resolved to cut off a number of the country's banks from the SWIFT banking system.
The Ukrainian president has since called for the country to become part of the EU. He stated that it would show a 'signal of your support to Ukraine'.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information