"You seem to be behind the wall again - between freedom and slavery": Zelensky told the Bundestag that economic cooperation with Russia is financing the aggression against Ukraine

He stated this during his appeal to the Bundestag.

"I am talking to you after three weeks of a full-scale invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine, after eight years of war in the East of my state. I am talking to you when Russia bombs our cities, destroys everything in Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians died, invaders killed 108 children in the middle of Europe. I am talking to you after numerous meetings, negotiations, statements and requests, and after steps in support, some of which are belated", he said.

Zelensky stressed that German companies maintain many ties with Russia and thus again find themselves "behind the wall between freedom and captivity". The President reproached Germany for delaying the decision on Ukraine's accession to the EU, just as they delayed the response to NATO. Also, the German government was slow to impose sanctions that could prevent the war.

"For some, this is politics, but in fact these are stones for a new wall. When we asked for preventive sanctions, we turned to Europe, we turned to many countries, we turned to you. We felt resistance, we understood that you want to continue the economy. And now the trade routes between you and the state that again brought war to Europe are barbed wire over the wall dividing Europe".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to take a leadership role and help stop the Russian invasion. He emphasized that countries across the ocean were closer to Germany.

"Why are the states across the ocean closer to us than you? Because this is a wall that no one notices, but which we are fighting for while we are fighting to save our people. Chancellor Scholz, destroy this wall, give Germany well-deserved leadership, support us, stop the war, help us stop it", Zelensky concluded.