Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky met Thursday with teenage eco-worrier Greta Thunberg as she denounced the ecological havoc caused by Russia’s invasion and what she said was the world’s lack of reaction to the ongoing disaster.
“Ecocide and environmental destruction is a form of warfare… as Ukrainians by this point know all too well — and so does Russia,” Thunberg said after the meeting, called during a visit to Kyiv as part of an international delegation investigating the environmental consequences of the conflict.
“And that’s why they are deliberately targeting the environment and people’s livelihoods and homes and therefore also destroying lives…”.
Ukrainian President Zelensky, third from left, poses with Greta Thunberg, third right, Vice-President of the European Parliament Heidi Hautala, center, ex-Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot Wallstrom, second from left, President of Ireland in 1990-1997 Mary Robinson, fourth from left, and Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Thunberg was speaking at a news conference along with Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak, AFP reports.
“I do not think that the world reaction to this ecocide is sufficient,” Thunberg continued. “I don’t think any reaction could be sufficient. So I guess we need to make more room for people who are affected by these catastrophes to tell their stories and to share information about what’s happening on the ground.”
“We must do everything we can to speak out about this and to try to spread awareness and share information about what is happening.”
The working group on the environment includes Thunberg, former Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Margot Wallström, European Parliament Vice President Heidi Hautala, and former Irish President Mary Robinson.
Greta Thunberg during a briefing on June 29, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Thunberg met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and joined the International Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War. (Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Zelensky said forming the group is “a very important signal of supporting Ukraine. It’s really important, we need your professional help.”
Republican presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence also met Zelensky during a trip to Ukraine with Franklin Graham’s Samaritan Purse on Thursday, as Breitbart News reported.