Romanian Parliament meeting in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivered a speech by video conference

The Romanian Senate and the Chamber of Deputies met on Monday in a joint session during which the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenski, gave a speech by videoconference. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca was also present. About a quarter of an hour was allotted for the speech of the President of Ukraine.   Before starting his speech, Volodymyr Zelensky projected images of horrors in Ukraine, mainly from Bucha, where Russian troops are accused of massacre among Ukrainina civilians – corpses scattered on the streets, mass graves, people with their hands tied behind their backs.   “The name of our city Bucha will go down in the history of  mass murders. More than 300 ordinary people were trotted out – tied with their hands behind their backs, shot in the back of the head or in the eyes,” said Zelensky.   “They want as many people as possible in war. This is reported on the Russian state agency, where only the official position is published. Anything that does not respect this does not pass censorship. They don’t even hide anymore. If our army had not defended itself, what they did to Bucha would have been done on the entire territory of Ukraine. Teachers with the Ukrainian coat of arms in their homes were killed. But why don’t they hide themselves?“, the Ukrainian president continued.   Zelensky also recalled the former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his totalitarian regime.“Nicolae Ceausescu was pulling down and isolating Romania. That regime was based only on repressions. The Romanian people raised and defended itself, toppling down that regime. Ceausescu could not be convinced of anything, the same way in Russia those who are giving the criminal orders cannot be convinced either,” he stated.   He told Romanians that Russia will not stop there and warned that there might be repercussions in R. of Moldova as well.“Distinguished Romanians, together we can stop these people who want to are committing a genocide in Europe. Ukraine is not the last target of the Russian aggression. Moldova is just a step from Odessa. That’s why it is fundamental to also defend Moldova’s integrity. Ukraine is now deciding the fate of Eastern Europe,” Zelensky stated.   He acknowledged that sanctions had been imposed to Russia, yet he reminded that it has been war in Ukraine for 40 days and for 8 years in Donbas. So, the Ukrainian president asked Romania to stop transit of goods to Russia and to stop bringing resources from Russia, thus referring to the gas imports. He also required further sanctions against Russia and further military support for Ukraine. “New sanctions are needed, and Ukraine must be supported by receiving weapons. Now is decided who’s winning: freedom or tyranny”.   Zelensky further referred to the actions of reconstructions in Ukraine after the war, inviting Romanian companies to join the reconstruction programmes. “I am convinced that Romania and the Romanian companies will take part in the reconstruction programmes of Ukraine after the war. We need support to start a new life in Ukraine”, the Ukrainian head of state underlined.   In the end he thanked the Romanian people for the support granted to the refugees and vowed to start a dialogue with Romania for the protection of the Romanian minority in Ukraine.   “Thank you to the entire Romanian people for the support granted to the refugees. When the situation allows, I want to start a dialogue with Romania for the protection of the Romanian minority in Ukraine, and to offer the entire endorsement. Slava Romania, Slava Ukraine”, Zelensky concluded his speech.   Deputies and senators held a moment of silence in the joint plenary session of the Parliament on Monday for those who died as a result of the Russian Federation's aggression in Ukraine.   Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Volodymyr Zelensky has had video speeches in the Parliaments of several states, including the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Germany, Italy, Israel, Poland, and the European Parliament. He also spoke at a special NATO Summit in Brussels in March.