Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy channels Churchill's famous words in defiant speech to UK Parliament: 'We will not give up'

'We will fight till the end, at sea, in the air,' Zelenskyy said

By Emma Colton Fox News
Published

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a Winston Churchill-inspired speech in a historical address to the U.K. Parliament. 

"We will fight till the end, at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost," Zelenskyy said Tuesday, the 13th day since Russia invaded Ukraine, according to an English translation. "We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets."

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Zelenskyy’s speech echoed that of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s most famous speech, "We Shall Fight on the Beaches."

"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills," Churchill said in his address to the House of Commons in 1940. 

(Original Caption) A new portrait of Sir Winston Churchill the Prme Minister - in the Cabinet Room at No.10 Downing Street. This was specially taken for his 79th birthday which is 30 November. He leaves tomorrow for Bermuda and the Bid Three Conference. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Zelenskyy’s address to the British Parliament was historic, marking the first time a foreign leader has ever addressed members of parliament directly in the commons chamber. He received a stand ovation from the members of parliament ahead of his address. 

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"I would like to add that we will fight on the banks of different rivers ... we are looking for your help, for the help of the civilized countries," Zelenskyy said.

"We will not give up and we will not lose," he added. 

Gutted cars following a night air raid in the village of Bushiv, 40 kilometers west of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, March 4, 2022. Russia's war on Ukraine is now in its ninth day and Russian forces have shelled Europe's largest nuclear power plant, sparking a fire there that was extinguished overnight. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)  (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

People fleeing the conflict in Ukraine alk after crossing the  Moldova-Ukraine border checkpoint near the town of Palanca, on March 2, 2022, seven days after Russia' military invasion of Ukraine. - Nearly 875,000 people have fled Ukraine in total, the UN refugee agency said on march 2, 2022, with the number expected to rise. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP) (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images) (NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)

A man leaves a vehicle damaged by shelling in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital — tactics Ukraine's embattled president said were designed to force him into concessions in Europe's largest ground war in generations.  (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Damaged cars and a destroyed accommodation building are seen near a checkpoint in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital — tactics Ukraine's embattled president said were designed to force him into concessions in Europe's largest ground war in generations.  (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A view shows the area near the regional administration building, which city officials said was hit by a missile attack, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY (REUTERS)

The Ukrainian leader called on Britain to recognize Russia as a "terrorist state" and to increase sanctions on Russia. 

"Best to all of Ukraine and to the United Kingdom," Zelenskyy closed his speech, which also received a standing ovation. 

President Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports heading into the U.S. on Tuesday, describing the measure as targeting the "main artery of Russia’s economy." 

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The UK announced similar measures, with the country’s Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng saying Tuesday that the U.K. will "phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022."

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