Zelenskyy to Austrian Parliament: You Cannot Remain Morally Neutral against Evil

On Thursday, during an address to the parliamentarians of Austria, which is a militarily neutral state, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised it is impossible to hold a morally neutral stance against evil.

During the speech, Zelenskyy invited Wolfgang Sobotka, the speaker of the lower house of the Austrian parliament, and other parliamentarians to Ukraine, so that they could see with their own eyes what the Russian war had brought to Ukraine.

"To see this means to understand our people. To understand how important each individual vote is in support of international law and Ukraine, when these issues are discussed at the UN General Assembly, the European Parliament or other international platforms.

We must understand the importance of not being morally neutral against evil. This is not about geopolitics... It is, however, that we must always remain humans and save our humanity," said the head of state, whose speech with a German translation was broadcast on the website of the Austrian parliament.

Zelenskyy thanked Austria for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, support for the energy sector, demining, and for the rehabilitation of Ukrainians who suffered from Russian aggression.

As a neutral country, Austria does not support Ukraine with weapons, but provides other kinds of assistance.

Zelenskyy's address to the Austrian parliamentarians was planned last year, but it never took place due to the resistance of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ).

It is noteworthy that with the beginning of Zelenskyy's speech on Thursday, FPÖ representatives left the plenary meeting hall.