Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president battling Russian
aggression, accused Germany of putting its economy before his country’s
security in his address to the German Parliament Thursday. He slammed the
German government for supporting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project meant to
bring natural gas from Russia. The Nord Stream 2 project has found opposition
from Ukraine which believes the pipeline endangers its security as well as that
of the whole of Europe.

Also Read | What is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline? Explained

Further, Ukraine’s president noted that the German government
has been slow to impose sanctions on Russia. He called upon Germany to not let
a new wall divide Europe and sought its support for Ukraine’s membership of
NATO and the European Union.

Talking about the violence wreaking havoc in his country,
especially on civilians, Zelensky said, “Everything is a target for them,”
including “a theatre where hundreds of people found shelter that was flattened
yesterday.” He added that thousands of people, including 108 children, have
died in the war.

Also Read | Putin’s bid to ‘denazify’ Ukraine includes cleansing Russia of ‘traitors’

On Wednesday, Zelensky addressed US lawmakers through video link,
sparking a debate about what more can the US do to help Ukraine. In his address
to the US Congress, Zelensky called upon the US to establish a no-fly zone over
Ukraine and provide fighter aircrafts that Ukrainians could use to protect
themselves.

Towards the end of his speech, the Ukrainian president addressed
US President Joe Biden and said, “You are the leader of your great nation. I wish
you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be
the leader of peace.”

In response, Biden said, “America is leading this effort, together
with our allies and partners, providing enormous levels of security and
humanitarian assistance that we’re adding to today and we’re going to do more in
the days and weeks ahead.”

The debate in the US right now is about the kind of support to
show Ukraine. While both Republicans and Democrats are of the mind that Ukraine
should be supported, some lawmakers are averse to the idea of a direct military
conflict with Russia. Thus, while lawmakers praised Zelensky for his speech,
most stopped short of lending support to the call of establishing a no-fly zone
in Ukraine’s airspace.