Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska urged MPs “united the world community” to end Ukraine’s conflict.
In the House of Commons, Mrs Zelenska made a comparison between Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian towns and Nazi Germany’s bombing of Britain during World War Two.
She said, “You didn’t surrender, and you will not surrender.”
This speech is coming as Ukraine enters its ninth month in conflict with Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Mrs Zelenska will be visiting the UK to raise awareness about the dire situation of the Ukrainian people. Millions of them are subject to harsh winters with frequent power cuts, both planned and unplanned.
Fighting continues on the eastern and southern fronts of the country.
Mrs Zelenska presented pictures of the effects of Russian air strikes. These have caused blackouts across major cities including capital Kyiv and Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv.
The first lady stated: “Your island survived air raids that were identically to those Russia used to put us on our knees.
“We hear sirens every single day that are identical to the British generation.”
She said that Ukrainian forces discovered torture rooms in Russian-controlled areas.
Ukraine discovered the remains of 63 civilians with signs of torture last month near Kherson, the liberated city. Russia repeatedly denies that it committed atrocities during its invasion. However, the BBC spoke to two individuals who claimed they were held in “torture chambers” for over a month by Russia.
Putin also accused Ukraine of war crimes against Russian soldiers.
Ms Zelenska stated to MPs that the UK should be “a leader in international justice efforts.”
She said, “Victory isn’t the only thing that we need. We also need justice.”
Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House, introduced Zelenska to the Commons. She said that Zelenska’s arrival must “shock us again”.
He said that the UK should not think that war is happening in “far away” or that it does not affect them.
He said, “If Putin wins other nations will also be in his sights.”
As part of the trip, Mrs Zelenska met Camilla, Queen Consort, and Prime Minister Rishi Sonak’s wife Akshata Murthy.
Camilla met Mrs Zelenska earlier at a reception to raise awareness about violence against women and girls.
The first lady of Ukraine stated that many women were raped in Russia by Russian soldiers during a speech.
She said that the youngest victim of rape was four years old and the eldest was 85.
The first lady also encouraged the British public, via the BBC’s Today program, to continue supporting Ukraine.
She stated, “We hope that the approaching Christmas season doesn’t make it easy for you to forget about our tragedy or get used to our pain.”
