05:00Ukraine: ‘It’s not that hard to be human’ – Zelenskiy gets on knees during debate
Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodimir Zelenskiy knelt down on his knees midway through the televised presidential debate at Kiev’s 70,000-seat Olympic stadium on Friday, telling incumbent Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that it is “not so hard to be human”
The gesture came after the two candidates debating their approach to the Ukrainian conflict.
“The first thing is the need for peace. We must end the war, and the war must end with fighting off the Russian aggressor. Because not in Kiev, as Zelenskiy says, lies the key to the war. And we should not crawl to Putin on our knees in order to protect the country. We need to build an army. We need to build a state and the foundation of statehood. We need to protect the language. We need to protect and defend Ukraine, our nation,” Poroshenko said.
“I am now ready to kneel before each mother who did not get his boy back from the war, her son. I am ready - I will now do it – to kneel in front of every child who did not get his father back. I am ready to kneel now in front of every wife who did not get her husband back. And I invite you to do the same,” Zelenskiy said.
This is the first and only debate between the two candidates. According to opinion polls, Zelenskiy is the favourite.
Zelenskiy won the first round of the presidential election on March 31, garnering some 30 percent of the vote. He will face Poroshenko in the run-off election on April 21.
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Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodimir Zelenskiy knelt down on his knees midway through the televised presidential debate at Kiev’s 70,000-seat Olympic stadium on Friday, telling incumbent Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that it is “not so hard to be human”
The gesture came after the two candidates debating their approach to the Ukrainian conflict.
“The first thing is the need for peace. We must end the war, and the war must end with fighting off the Russian aggressor. Because not in Kiev, as Zelenskiy says, lies the key to the war. And we should not crawl to Putin on our knees in order to protect the country. We need to build an army. We need to build a state and the foundation of statehood. We need to protect the language. We need to protect and defend Ukraine, our nation,” Poroshenko said.
“I am now ready to kneel before each mother who did not get his boy back from the war, her son. I am ready - I will now do it – to kneel in front of every child who did not get his father back. I am ready to kneel now in front of every wife who did not get her husband back. And I invite you to do the same,” Zelenskiy said.
This is the first and only debate between the two candidates. According to opinion polls, Zelenskiy is the favourite.
Zelenskiy won the first round of the presidential election on March 31, garnering some 30 percent of the vote. He will face Poroshenko in the run-off election on April 21.