UK ParliamentThe word unprecedented can be overused in politics but in this case it was appropriate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement marks the first time that a leader of another country has addressed the House of Commons.
He spoke via video link and received a standing ovation from MPs before he had even said a word.
You could hear a pin drop as MPs listened on their headphones to a translation of his day-by-day account of the invasion of his country by Russia.
He likened Ukraine’s struggle to that of the UK during World War Two and invoked a famous speech by Sir Winston Churchill, promising to fight Russian troops in the air, the sea and on the streets.
He thanked Boris Johnson for the UK’s support but called for tougher sanctions and to “make sure our skies are safe”.
This was a moment in history; the standing ovations he received were powerful and symbolic.
But that should not obscure the fact that central to Ukraine’s pleas in recent days has been the call for a “no fly zone”.
On this issue, UK ministers are unwilling to move – struggling with how to strike a difficult balance of offering support to Ukraine without triggering a wider NATO conflict with Russia.
