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War in Ukraine

Live: Ukraine’s President Zelensky tells French lawmakers ‘most of the answers are in your hands’

Issued on: 23/03/2022 – 07:43Modified: 23/03/2022 – 15:33

Ukraine’s President Volodymy Zelensky addresses France’s National Assembly. © FRANCE 24, screengrab

Text by: FRANCE 24

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday addressed the French National Assembly, calling on all French companies to leave Russia and pleaded for France to send his country more weapons, more air raid defences and to strengthen French sanctions on Moscow. Follow FRANCE 24’s liveblog for the latest updates [Paris time].

3:24 pm: ‘French companies need to leave Russia,’ Zelensky says

Zelensky, who received a standing ovation after his 20-minute speech to the French parliament, said Ukraine needs “more than just oxygen… We need to act together”. Zelensky called on the French companies that are still operating in Russia to leave the country, and pleaded for France to send Ukraine more weapons, more air raid defences and to strengthen French sanctions on Moscow.  

3:10 pm: Zelensky addresses French lawmakers

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently addressing the French National Assembly via video link. He has begun his speech by saying “most of the answers are in your hands”, and asking the lawmakers to hold a minute of silence for Ukraine and the many victims of the Russian invasion that started on February 24.

2:47 pm: Zelensky to address French parliament

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address French lawmakers in the National Assembly at 3pm.

2:16 pm: NATO to deploy four new ‘battle groups’ to eastern members

NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said that the transatlantic military alliance is set to bolster its eastern flank by deploying four new battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia “with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air and at sea”.

He also said NATO would lend Ukraine ‘additional support’ against nuclear, chemical threats, and that Russia “must understand it can never win a nuclear war”.

1:42 pm: Black Sea port city of Odesa holds on despite first strike

Authorities in Odesa accused Russian forces of carrying out a strike on residential buildings in the outskirts of the Ukrainian city early on Monday, the first such attack on the Black Sea port city. FRANCE 24’s Julie Dungelhoeff and Amar Al Hameedawi report from the strategic city.

01:41

1:24 pm: Zelensky urges Japan to impose trade embargo on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Japan on Wednesday to ramp up pressure on Russia with a trade embargo, making an unprecedented direct appeal to parliament that invoked the two nations’ shared experience of nuclear disaster.

Speaking to lawmakers by video link in a gesture never previously accorded to a foreign leader, Zelenskiy thanked Japan for leading the way among Asian nations in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and launching sanctions.

11:11

12:41 pm: Ukraine says talks with Russia ‘difficult’

Kyiv said Wednesday that talks with Russia to end nearly one month of fighting were encountering “significant difficulties” after Moscow accused the United States of hindering peace efforts.

“The negotiations are continuing online. They are proceeding with significant difficulties because the Ukrainian side has clear and principled positions,” Ukraine’s lead negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak told reporters in written comments.

12:01 pm: “Putin plans to attend G20 summit” 

President Vladimir Putin plans to attend a G20 summit later this year in Indonesia, Moscow’s envoy said Wednesday, dismissing suggestions Russia could be excluded from the group over the war in Ukraine.

A day earlier, the United States indicated it would consult allies over Russia’s membership in international forums to increase pressure over the invasion of Ukraine, which has prompted a refugee crisis in Europe and roiled global markets. 

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva said G20 host Jakarta had already invited Putin to the November heads of state summit in Bali.

10:52 am: International volunteers gather on Polish border to help refugee influx 

Following the Russian invasion, more than 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine. Poland has taken in most of these refugees. FRANCE 24’s Ellen Gainsford reports the Polish-Ukrainian border on how volunteers from all over the world are providing Ukrainians with practical help and moral support.

01:39

10:20 am: Putin’s offensive in Ukraine ‘stuck’, says Germany’s Scholz

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has stalled despite the daily assaults inflicted by his troops, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, urging Moscow to “immediately” stop the fighting.

“Putin’s offensive is stuck despite all the destruction that it is bringing day after day,” Scholz said in a speech to the German parliament.

Unprecedented sanctions imposed by Western partners are working and will only bring further damage to Russia’s economy, warned the German leader.

“But that is just the beginning, many of the toughest consequences will only been seen in the coming weeks,” he said, warning that “we are constantly creating sanctions”.

Putin “must hear the truth” that not only is the war destroying Ukraine, “but also Russia’s future”.

Scholz insisted that Germany stands by Kyiv but said he would not endorse calls for NATO to help erect a no-fly zone over Ukraine or to send in “peacekeeping troops”.

“As difficult as it is, we will not give in on that,” he said, adding that Germany would not risk a direct military conflict between nuclear-armed Russia and NATO. 

09:46 am: ‘Sending peacekeepers to Ukraine may lead to NATO-Russia confrontation’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said sending peacekeepers to Ukraine may lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and the NATO military alliance.

Poland last week said an international peacekeeping mission should be sent to Ukraine and be given the means to defend itself.

09:06 am: Nine humanitarian corridors agreed for Wednesday, says Ukrainian deputy PM

Agreement has been reached to try to evacuate civilians trapped in Ukrainian towns and cities through nine “humanitarian corridors” on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Signalling no agreement had been reached with Russia to establish a safe corridor form the heart of Mariupol, she said people wishing to leave the besieged port city would find transport in nearby Berdyansk.

08:04 am: Local ceasefire agreed for Luhansk, says governor

The governor of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine said agreement had been reached on a local ceasefire to evacuate civilians trapped by fighting. Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on the Telegram messaging app that the ceasefire would come into force at 9am.

01:34 am: March 22: Kyiv residents, businesses coordinate aid and self-defence as fighting consumes suburbs

Entrepreneur Dmytro Tymoshenko has turned his paint company into a force for Kyiv’s self-preservation. His facilities are now producing their own bulletproof vests as well as serving as a hub for distribution of medicine and other humanitarian aid. FRANCE 24’s James Andre, Jonathan Walsh and Oleksiy Gordieiev report from the Ukrainian capital:

02:53

11:22 pm: Zelensky says talks with Russia tough but ‘moving forward’; 100,000 still trapped in Mariupol

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Wednesday that peace talks with Russia to end the war were tough and sometimes confrontational but added “step by step we are moving forward”.

In his nightly video address, Zelensky also said 100,000 people were living in the besieged city of Mariupol in inhuman conditions, without food, water or medicine.

Zelensky said more than 7,000 people had escaped in the last 24 hours, but one group travelling along an agreed humanitarian route west of the city were “simply captured by the occupiers”.

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