Former President George W. Bush met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, who Bush described following their interactions as the “Winston Churchill of our time.” As Bush explained: “I was honored to spend a few minutes talking with President Zelenskyy – the Winston Churchill of our time – this morning. I thanked the President for his leadership, his example, and his commitment to liberty, and I saluted the courage of the Ukrainian people.”
The former U.S. president also spoke of the specifics of the Ukrainian push against Russia’s unfolding aggression. “President Zelenskyy assured me that they will not waver in their fight against Putin’s barbarism and thuggery,” Bush said. “Americans are inspired by their fortitude and resilience. We will continue to stand with Ukrainians as they stand up for their freedom.” Throughout the currently unfolding war between Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. has provided substantial assistance — worth billions of dollars — to the Putin-targeted country, and President Joe Biden is looking to ramp up the aid, which includes substantial weaponry for use by Ukrainians against Russian invaders. Ukrainians have mounted a resolute defense, scoring high-profile strategic victories along the way. Russia’s large warship known as the Moskva, for instance, sank after a Ukrainian strike, and Ukrainians held back Russian troops from taking the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
"President Zelenskyy assured me that they will not waver in their fight against Putin’s barbarism and thuggery. Americans are inspired by their fortitude and resilience. We will continue to stand with Ukrainians as they stand up for their freedom." -President George W. Bush pic.twitter.com/x5PM8mW3zS
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) May 5, 2022
As for Zelenskyy’s take on the meeting with Bush, the Ukrainian leader told the ex-U.S. president: “It is a great honor to meet you. I would like to thank the United States of America, the American people. I saw how people in the United States treat us on social networks, they take to the streets, support Ukraine with flags… Americans are sincere, open-minded people, and I feel it. We have common values. I feel that it is from the heart.” As for further developments in the war, Russian forces have recently been advancing a ground assault on the premises of the large Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, from which some trapped civilians were recently evacuated. “This effort has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia. Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas,” U.K. authorities noted. The Donbas region in Ukraine encompasses eastern and southern portions of the country where ground-level aggression has recently been concentrated.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 06 May 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/6jHlpk2hy5
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/7ViaoqSnAV
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 6, 2022
