Russia has taken aim at "pompous" Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russia has attacked 'pompous' Volodymyr Zelensky
The Russian embassy in London has attacked the Ukrainian leader for his "hasty" visit to Europe as he made a surprise appearance in London on Wednesday (08.02.23) before travelling to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In a strongly worded statement, the embassy said: "Zelensky's pompous solicitations about the values of 'freedom' and 'human rights', which Kiev claims to be fighting for, were overtly hypocritical."
The embassy branded Zelensky as the "ex-comedian in a green sweatshirt now on tour around Europe" and issued a warning to the UK government that they would be responsible for an escalation of the conflict if they provide Ukraine with fighter jets.
It said: "We would like to remind London: in the event of such a scenario, the death toll of yet another round of escalation, as well as its military-political consequences for the European continent and the whole world will be on the United Kingdom's hands. Russia will know how to respond to any unfriendly actions by the British side."
Despite the Russian threats, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that "nothing is off the table" when it comes to assisting the war effort in Ukraine.