Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told a joint sitting of the Oireachtas by video link from Kyiv that Russia is using hunger as a weapon and an instrument of domination. Read his full speech below:
Mr Speaker, Mr Taoiseach, dear Senators and members of the Parliament. Dear people of Ireland.
This night, our territory was again hit by Russian missiles. It was done cunningly and it hit civilian infrastructure. The new fuel storage depot was hit and this was used by Russia as a target and this is their attribute.
They are destroying things that are sustaining livelihoods to people. They are hitting places where we store fuel, food storage depot, agricultural equipment and fields. They are putting mines into the fields.
They also have blocked all of our sea ports, together with the vessels that had already agricultural cargos for exports. Why are they doing this? Because for them, hunger is also a weapon, a weapon against us ordinary people as an instrument of domination.
Ukraine is one of the leading food supplying countries in the world. Without our exports, this is not just about the deficit and the threat of hunger, for more than dozens of countries - Asia and Africa - but even more because there will be a shortage of food and the prices will go up and this is reality for the millions of people who are hungry and it will be more difficult for them to feed their families, especially in Northern Africa.
They are undermining our state's time. They are destroying our infrastructure and they are deliberately provoking the food crisis and what will happen as a result of this crisis, at least there will be political turbulence. And as the violence increases, new refugees will be looking to save their lives.
Russia is using this hunger weapon. The worst thing is the city of Mariupol. This half-a-million inhabitants city was put under siege and they have blocked the access from the soil, from the sea. They are blocking their humanitarian cargo. They are not allowing anything to come through. Neither water, nor medication. While it was snowing, people could melt the snow to get water, now they don't even have that. So, they are bombing 24/7. Airstrikes, bombings in Mariupol. There is no single house left intact in a half a million city. None.
The dead and killed were simply buried in the yards of the condominiums and in many cases, they couldn't even do that. The bodies were just left there lying on the streets in the remnants of the buildings and the basements and we don't know how many citizens of Mariupol have been killed by Russia.
But we know for sure that this was part of a general occupation tactics. They have done the same or they have attempted to do the same with the city of Chernihiv, Sumy, Okhtyrka, Kharkiv, Izyum, Volnovakha and many other Ukrainian cities.
Maybe you have not heard those geographic names yet but this is about millions of people that Russia was trying to destroy and continue to do so. When you hear these things, it may seem that this is not possible, it may seem that none in the present-day world will dare to do that but these are real facts.
The fact is that Mariupol, cities, were drawing the maps of how to find the bodies of the dead who were buried in their yards. The fact is that Russian occupants were killing people on the roads when they were trying to escape the blocked cities. Until today on the Ukrainian highways, we have hundreds of shot and burned cars.
The fact is that Russian soldiers were not even trying to take these bodies out of the streets while Bucha and Irpin were under occupation. These dead bodies were simply lying on the streets, on the sideways, in the yards of the houses, anywhere. The fact is that in the 42 days of the all-out Russian war, at least 167 children were killed in Ukraine. We don't know yet all the atrocities of Mariupol and the victims in other areas of Ukraine where the fighting is still going on.
The fact is that as a result of Russian shelling, 927 educational institutions were damaged. 258 hospitals, they even shot at 78 ambulances. They were targeting even churches and shelters that they knew for sure that there is nobody but women and children. And this is a fact.
The country which is doing this doesn't deserve to be in the circle of the civil countries. It should be held responsible for everything they have done in the Ukrainian soil. They have come to Ukraine as a colonising army. Their state propagandist's and their politicians are not even concealing what they want.
In the 21st century they are looking at their country as a colonial empire who allegedly has the right to subdue neighbouring people and destroy the foundations of their independent life, destroy their identity, everything that makes us Ukrainians.
Russian soldiers were deliberately looking for and killing teachers in the occupied districts. They are abducting local government leaders and they are killing community leaders. Together with the Russian army, there were special groups coming in who were trying to destroy any political opposition. Now when we are hearing new rhetoric about the sanctions against Russian opposition, I can't tolerate any indecisiveness after everything that we have gone through in Ukraine, after everything that Russian troops have done.
Today when the whole world knows about the crimes against our people, we still have to convince even some of European companies to abandon Russian market. We still have to convince foreign politicians that we need to cut any ties of Russian banks with the global financial system. We still have to convince Europe that Russian oil cannot feed Russian military missionary with new sources of funding.
Ladies and gentlemen, the people of Ireland, since the very first days you are supporting good, you are supporting Ukraine and this is a fact. You did not doubt starting helping us, you began doing this right away.
And although you are a neutral country, you have not remained neutral to the disaster and to the mishaps that Russia has brought to Ukraine. I am grateful to you, to every citizen of Ireland. Thank you for supporting sanctions against Russia, thank you for the humanitarian and financial support extended to our country and thank you for caring about Ukrainian people who found shelter on your land.
Just think about it. 10 million Ukrainians have been left without shelter as of today by Russia who had to leave their native cities because of this war. This is something we cannot come to grips with but it means that Russia hasn't yet abandoned their plans. They are still looking forward to subdue and occupy all of the Ukrainian people.
We want to do our best to make sure that Russia will start looking for peace and leave us alone. So please, I would like to ask you to show more leadership in our anti-war coalition. I would like to ask you to convince EU partners to introduce even more rigid sanctions against Russia that would really make sure that the Russian war machine will stop.
We have to put an end to trading with Russia. We have to cut ties of Russian banks to the global system, cut the sources of their income from the oil that they use for their weapon and for the killing. There are mechanisms out there how to do this. The only thing we are lacking is the principal approach of some leaders, political leaders, business leaders who still think that war and war crimes is not something as horrific as financial losses.
I am sure that your leadership can make a difference and change this. I am sure that the whole of Europe will be able to stop this war and bring peace and stability in the East of Europe. We cannot delay any longer. The longer this aggression of Russia will continue, the worse will be the consequences. Not only for our continent but neighbouring regions.
Ladies and gentlemen and the people of Ireland, our principal approach, our courage have already turned a new page of relationship between Ukraine and Ireland. Our mutual understanding and mutual respect is already at a level where it becomes only the question of time for us to start living in a common European home.
Thank you for the support of the accelerated procedure to provide membership in the EU to Ukraine. With your support, it will be even faster and beneficial to both nations. We need to start thinking about the restoration of our country after the war. We are inviting leading countries of the world to participate in rebuilding and restoring of Ukraine and of course Ireland is always welcome to do so.
For example, in Kherson, Oblast your skill of valuing the lives and community development experience, your economic potential is something that you are known for so let's bring our efforts together and let's show that Ukraine and Ireland jointly can do much more than the biggest country of the world was trying to destroy.
I am grateful to Ireland.
Slava Ukraini!
