'What happened to never again?': Zelenskyy lays into German MPs
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued stern words to German MPs over the Ukraine crisis, invoking the Holocaust to ask if they really meant: "Never again".
Zelenskyy addressed German parliament on Thursday, where he three weeks into Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine which has seen the nation pummelled with shells, cluster bombs and rockets.
Despite Russia's insistence they are only hitting military buildings and targets, footage and reports from the ground are telling a very different story.
On Wednesday, a theatre being used to shelter civilians in the besieged city of Mariupol was bombed, despite having the word "children" written on the ground outside in Russian.
Ukraine has called on the EU to stop buying oil and gas from Russia, arguing it enriches the country which is attacking.
But Germany has refused the move, arguing there isn't another option to buy energy.
Read more: Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine ‘largely stalled on all fronts’, says UK
Speaking via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskyy lambasted Germany for prioritising money and the economy over the lives of Ukrainians.
“After 80 years, something like this happens and I am telling you: Every year politicians repeat the words ‘never again’ and now we see that these words are simply worth nothing.
"In Europe a people is being destroyed. There is an attempt to destroy everything that is dear to us,” he said.
Zelenskyy also spoke of Germany's involvement with Nord Stream 2, which Berlin pressed ahead with following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 – despite the EU promising to reduce its dependence on Russia for gas.
Germany only pulled the plug on Nord Stream 2 last month, just two days after Russia formally recognised two breakaway regions in Ukraine and shortly before Putin's troops invaded.
“We have always said that Nord Stream 2 is a weapon and a preparation for the big war and we received the response that it’s about the economy, the economy, the economy,” Zelenskyy said.
“Some steps were taken too late. The sanctions may not have been enough to stop the war."
British defence chiefs said on Thursday that Russia's invasion has "largely stalled on all fronts" with Putin's forces making “minimal progress” and continuing to"suffer heavy losses”.
They also said that Russia has failed to seize any major cities, despite widespread bombardments.
Putin's invasion has sparked the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War Two, with more than three million people fleeing Ukraine to surrounding countries in search of safety.
In its latest intelligence briefing, the MoD said: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely stalled on all fronts.
“Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days and they continue to suffer heavy losses.
“Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands.”
Watch: Zelenskyy urges Germany to tear down this wall in Europe
On Wednesday it was reported that Russia and Ukraine were getting closer to a peace deal which could see an end to the fighting.
Ukraine's chief negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Kyiv was seeking direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin, but he dismissed an earlier report in the Financial Times that the two sides had already drawn up a draft 15-point peace plan.
Three people close to the talks told the newspaper that the deal included a ceasefire being declared; the Ukrainian government declaring neutrality; Kyiv accepting limits on its armed forces; and Putin's forces withdrawing from the country.
It would also require Kyiv to formally drop its ambition to join Nato and not host foreign military bases or weaponry. In exchange, they would get protection from allies, such as the US, UK and Turkey.
