Ukrainian President Asks Foreigners to Come Fight, Says He Will Provide Weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for foreigners to come help fight off Russia, promising to give them weapons and glory.

Zelensky also maintained that Kyiv and other key places remain under his control.

“We successfully fought off enemy attacks. We are defending our country, our land, future of our children,” Zelensky said. “Kyiv and key places near the capital are under our control. The occupiers wanted to capture our capital and install their puppets like Donetsk. We broke their idea.”

“Anyone who wants to come over here and defend our country, please come, we will give you arms”

Ukraine’s President Zelensky addresses the nation from Kyiv saying “we have to defend our country, to defend Europe”https://t.co/lzLryg1HqN pic.twitter.com/zVF243no5C

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 26, 2022

“Anyone who wants to come over here and defend our country, please come, and we will give you arms,” he continued. “Anybody defends will have been glorified.”

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said that the government has supplied 18,000 submachine guns and ammunition to civilians and militia fighters since the start of the invasion.

“We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend our country,” Zelensky said in an English-language announcement on Twitter. “Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.”

We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2022

A video of the weapons being given away in Kyiv was posted to social media. The caption reads, “In Kyiv, handing out weapons to people.”

В Киеве раздают оружие людям pic.twitter.com/YD8Cf3ZE1H

— Ходорковский Михаил (@mich261213) February 25, 2022