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Kate Plummer
Mar 23, 2022
‘How many Britons died?’ Ex-Ukraine President asks PM not to compare war ...
ITV
The former president of Ukraine has perfectly summed up why Boris Johnson's Brexit and Ukraine comparison is so offensive.
Speaking to ITV News, Petro Poroshenko responded to comments made by Johnson at the Conservative Spring Conference over the weekend. The prime minister had said it was the “instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom”, and cited the Brexit vote as a “famous recent example”, sparking a fierce backlash that even angered Brexiteers.
Poroshenko told reporters that there was "no comparison" between the two, especially in terms of the number of people who have died in Ukraine. He said:
"How many citizens of the United Kingdom died because of Brexit? Zero. Can you imagine how many Ukrainians died before they met Putin and Russia? Thousands.
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"Only today we have more than 150 children [who] were killed by Russian soldiers and Russian artillery. Only during the last week 2,000 children from Mariupol was captured and delivered back to Russia.
"Can I ask you how many houses were destroyed because of Brexit? We have whole cities which were completely erased starting from Mariupol which is much worse than Aleppo.
"This situation, definitely, please. No comparison."
Many felt that Poroshenko's comments were apt.
Ex-Pres of Ukraine tears Boris Johnson a new one over his comparison of Ukraine with Brexit.\n\nRemember- Ukraine is fighting to join to EU to ensure their security, economy, support and freedom.pic.twitter.com/UML8nrbVCr— Mike Galsworthy \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Mike Galsworthy \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1647973288
This is extraordinary. \n\nFormer Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko sends a message to Boris Johnson: \u201cHow many citizens of the UK died because of Brexit? Zero \u2026 please, no comparison\u201dpic.twitter.com/JKO1dEN0Ih— Rachel Wearmouth (@Rachel Wearmouth) 1647975235
How many citizens died for brexit?\n\nUkraine's former president Petro Poroshenko asks @BorisJohnson \n\nTories @Conservatives embarrassing the UKpic.twitter.com/9GCHsdCfXg— UK is with EU (@UK is with EU) 1647972090
"Can I ask you how many houses were destroyed because of Brexit? We have whole cities that were completely erased."\n\nFormer Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asks @BorisJohnson to stop comparing the war to Brexit.https://twitter.com/ITVNewsPolitics/status/1506320633759739910\u00a0\u2026— Otto English (@Otto English) 1647976370
No.10 has told outlets the PM was not making a “direct comparison” between Ukraine’s resistance to Russian invasion and the Brexit vote but will not withdraw the comment.
Meanwhile, The Times reports that Johnson regretted the remark. “It sounded better written down than it did when spoken,” the source reportedly said.
Nevertheless, the remark clearly hasn't had a great diplomatic impact.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
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