War in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make 'historic' address to British MPs

War in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address British MPs in Commons
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War in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address British MPs in Commons
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The Speaker of the House of Commons has announced that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address British MPs on Tuesday via video link.

The address will take place at 17:00 GMT. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle granted Mr Zelenskyy's "historic" request, which will be the first time that a speech from a foreign leader is broadcast directly into the House of Commons chamber. Formal parliamentary business will be suspended.

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A 'historic' address

Sir Lindsay said:

Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House.
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Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible.
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War in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address British MPs in Commons  Bloomberg / Getty Images
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The unprecedented virtual address will be shown on screens that were installed overnight in the chamber with British lawmakers to wear headsets so they can hear an interpreter translate the speech simultaneously into English.

Meetings with world leaders

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will also host meetings with the leaders of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, to discuss the UK's support for security in central Europe.

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On Monday evening, Mr Johnson spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and US President Joe Biden. The four leaders agreed to maintain pressure on Russia in order to isolate President Vladimir Putin both diplomatically and economically.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The prime minister stressed that our goal must be ensuring Putin's failure in this act of aggression against Ukraine.
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