Photo: George W. Bush/Instagram
Former PresidentGeorge W. Bushdescribed Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyyas “the Winston Churchill of our time,” after chatting with the world leader via video call last week.
“I was honored to spend a few minutes talking with President Zelenskyy – the Winston Churchill of our time – this morning,” the former president wrote on Instagram last Friday, under a photo of the two men speaking via video. “I thanked the President for his leadership, his example, and his commitment to liberty, and I saluted the courage of the Ukrainian people.”
Zelenskyy, 44, became an overnight wartime hero to many as Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
His selfie videos from the capital,vowing to continue the fight, have gone viral — as did his rebuff of a U.S. offer to evacuate him from danger, when he declared, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Zelenskyy — a former comedian who hastwo children, 17-year-old Oleksandra and 9-year-old Kyrylo, with Ukrainian First LadyOlena Zelenska— acknowledged in a recent interview withTimethat he has become a “symbol,” saying that the attention is why he has been so steadfast about remaining in the country while it remains under attack.
“You understand that they’re watching,” he told the outlet. “You’re a symbol. You need to act the way the head of state must act.”
In a statement issued shortly after the war began,Bush said Russia’s attack on Ukraine"constitutes the gravest security crisis on the European continent since World War II."
“We cannot tolerate the authoritarian bullying and danger that Putin poses,” he added. “Ukraine is our friend and democratic ally and deserves our full support during this most difficult time.”
In March, Bush joined another former president —Bill Clinton— for an impromptu visit to a church in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood.
In a joint statement to PEOPLE, spokesmen for the two former presidents said: “In the spirit of seeing every American come together, it just made all the sense in the world to them.”
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Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
source: people.com
