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Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev:
"Each of you must understand: We defend you, personally!"
Vitali Klitschko speaks to the conscience of the international business elite.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the mayor of Kyiv and his brother are campaigning for support.
Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev:
»
We fight for values.
Hopefully the same values, democratic values.
Most importantly, human rights.
human lives.
We fight - literally - for each and every one of you.
And everyone has to understand that.«
Because of the sanctions against Russia, the meeting in Switzerland will take place without Russian participation.
The "Russia House", actually the residence of the Russian delegation in Davos, was rededicated by an artist as the "House of Russian War Crimes".
It features photos documenting the Russian army's violence against Ukrainian civilians.
The mayor of Melitopol is also on site.
At the beginning of March he was held captive for a few days. In Davos he describes the situation in his hometown.
Ivan Fedorov, Mayor of Melitopol:
»It's tough.
We cannot deliver relief supplies.
We cannot send supplies to our pharmacists, our doctors and our hospitals.
That is why our innocent citizens cannot be treated by doctors right now.
The biggest problem is food.
Because the food that Russia is delivering from our currently occupied Crimea is very expensive.
And most of our citizens, more than 80 percent, no longer have a job and of course no money either.
So the situation is dangerous.
We hope that the occupation will not last long and that we can rebuild a European melitopoly.«
The Ukrainian President Zelenskyj also appealed to the audience in Switzerland – via video link.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine:
»Don't wait for more deadly attacks.
Do not wait for Russia to use special weapons, chemical, biological or, God forbid, nuclear.
Don't let the aggressor feel that his opponents are not decisive enough.
Act directly and in the strongest possible way.
To defend peace and order.
An order that benefits everyone in the world.«
Lobby groups, economic experts and politicians meet in Davos.
The President of Ukraine addressed the assembled businessmen in particular.
Volodymyr Zelenskyj, President of Ukraine:
»All foreign companies must leave the Russian market.
If only so that your brands are not associated with war crimes.
So that your offices, accounts and goods cannot be misused by war criminals for their bloody deeds.«
The World Economic Forum runs until Thursday.
However, the meeting cannot decide on concrete measures, such as further sanctions against Russia.