Zelenskyy Translator Chokes Up During President’s Emotional Speech to the EU

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s English translator broke down while translating an emotional speech the president was giving to the European Parliament Tuesday from an undisclosed location in Ukraine. 

Zelenskyy’s speech to the European Union came on the sixth day of fighting after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader spoke of the bombing of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and how it’s a place where many Russian ex-pats lived and how the city held the most universities in the country. When he said dozens were killed in cruise missile strikes, the man translating his speech to English audibly broke down. 

“This is the price of freedom,” Zelenskyy said in Ukrainian while his English translator briefly choked back sobs. “We are fighting just for our land. And for our freedom, despite the fact that all of the cities of our country are now blocked. Nobody is going to enter and intervene with the freedom of our country.” 

This isn’t an isolated incident for Zelenskyyy, a charismatic speaker who’s been lauded for his ability to inspire his citizens. In a separate speech on Sunday, a translator working for a German news agency also broke down during one of his speeches. The translator quietly said “Sorry” in German and went quiet on the mic.  

The attack on Kharkiv has been an escalation in Russian aggression. The city has faced intense shelling since the beginning of the week. 

“Nobody is going to break us. We are strong. We are Ukrainians. We have a desire to see our children alive,” said Zelenskyy in his speech to the EU Parliament. “I think it’s a fair one. Yesterday 16 children were killed.” 

“We are fighting for our rights, for our freedoms, for our lives… and now we’re fighting for survival. That is the highest of our motivation, but we are fighting to be equal members of Europe. I believe that today we are showing everybody that’s exactly what we are.” 

Zelenskyy has lobbied the European Union to allow Ukraine to join the EU and has attempted to cast the Russian invasion as not just an attack on Ukraine but on all of Europe. On Monday, he officially signed an application for Ukraine to join the group.  

The EU has strongly condemned Russia’s actions and has sanctioned the country. Earlier this weekend, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine and the EU work closely on many things like the energy grid. 

“They are one of us and we want them in,” said von der Leyen.

Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter.