Zelenski speaks to Latin America for the first time: "Do not maintain trade with Russia"

President of Ukraine Volodimir Zelensky on July 20. PRESIDENCY OF UKRAINE (PRESIDENCE OF UKRAINE)

For the first time since the Russian military offensive in Ukraine broke out last February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned to Latin America to request help.

In a teleconference organized by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC), Zelensky on Wednesday asked the governments of the region to end trade with the Kremlin and insisted that listeners visit his country.

“To believe what is happening, it is important to see it.

I want your leaders, young people, to come to Ukraine.

For us it is important that Latin America knows the truth”, said the Ukrainian president.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have aligned themselves with Moscow and have legitimized the military operation launched by land, sea and air.

One of the key points of the speech has focused on how the war has pulverized the Ukrainian economy.

According to Zelensky, they lose five billion dollars each time.

Asked by the newspaper

about what measures Latin American governments can take to help them, the president stressed that there are already countries that have chosen a certain region or city and have sent their young people and equipment to rebuild schools and universities collapsed by the conflict. warlike

“Latin American countries can do the same.

Choose a city you like and please come visit us”, he added.

Along these lines, the rector of the PUC, Ignacio Sánchez, has announced that a group of professionals is developing a project for the reconstruction of the city of Irpin, located eight kilometers from kyiv, the country's capital.

Part of the plan is to build a memorial for the victims of the massacre and the remodeling of the public library, according to Sánchez.

To the 175 days of war, Zelenski has remarked that we must add the years of conflict since the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, when the Kremlin "began to kill Ukrainians for being Ukrainians".

More than 10,000 Ukrainians have been killed since the invasion began, according to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled).

The Ukrainian Children's Prosecutor's Office denounced over the weekend that at least 361 children have died and around 711 have been injured in Russian attacks since February.

"Russia does not want to end this war," Zelensky assured in his speech, which included space for questions from students.

“So that they understand that this has a high price, that they are going to be punished for this, they do not maintain trade with Russia, they must not let their tourists travel to other countries.

So the Russians are going to start trying to understand what happened and put pressure on their government.

Their society has to influence their government, there is no other way that can stop them”, the Ukrainian president has maintained.

President Gabriel Boric and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonia Urrejola, were invited to the virtual meeting this Wednesday at the Catholic University, but they alleged scheduling problems and did not participate.

As explained by Sanchez.

Boric spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart in July, when a shell hit a residential building in Odessa.

“I told him that he can count on Chile's support on humanitarian issues.

Ukraine has a friend in South America, both now and when the war ends," the Chilean president said at the time.