'Take moral stand': Zelenskyy accuses Russia of 'sponsoring' killing of Ukrainian children

As the ongoing Russia Ukraine war enters day 21, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has urged the world to stop trade with Russia. The Ukrainian President, in his recent tweet, has urged Ukrainians all over the world and allies to put pressure on businesses to abandon Russian markets and businesses. Zelenskyy has asked multinational companies to take a stand against Russia.

"Everyone in the world must take a moral stand. Not only the state, but also companies," Zelenskyy tweeted. He said that trade with Russia must be stopped so that it can no longer sponsor the killing of Ukrainian children.

"All trade with Russia must be stopped! So that it can't sponsor the killing of our children. Ukrainians all over the world! Contact politicians, talk to journalists, put pressure on business to leave the Russian market. So that their dollars & euros aren’t paid for our blood," Zelenskyy tweeted. 

Zelenskyy further added, "The price for this war against must be extremely painful for Russia." Zelenskyy is favouring stringent sanctions against Putin's Russia for its invasion. Zelenkyy wants to put economic pressure on Russia through tighter sanctions so that Putin cannot sustain a prolonged war with Ukraine. 

The tweet comes following the EU's swift adoption of the 4th package of sanctions against Russia. On Wednesday, European Union President Ursula Von der Leyen welcomed the fast adoption of the 4th package of sanctions against Russia by the EU Member States. She claimed that the decision of the European Union would further impact Russian President Vladimir Putin's ability to support the "unjustified war" against Ukraine. In her tweet, the EU Commission President underlined that the European Union and its members will persist in pressurising the Russian government until it ceases its military action in Ukraine.

"I welcome the fast adoption by the EU Member States of the 4th package of sanctions against Russia. This will further cripple Putin’s ability to finance this unjustified war. The EU and its partners will keep up the pressure on the Kremlin until it stops the invasion of Ukraine." - Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.

Sanctions on Russia

Amid the ongoing Russia Ukraine war, Russia has been under various sanctions. The European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and others have imposed economic and individual sanctions on Russia. Last week, US President Biden sanctioned Russian petroleum products, barring their export to the US. 

Hundreds of Russian leaders and wealthy business figures are known as oligarchs who are believed to be linked to the Kremlin have been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States. Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu have been placed under travel and asset freezes by the United Kingdom. It has also smashed sanctions on 386 members of the Russian parliament by the EU and the US. Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom.

Companies suspending Russian operations

Many multinational companies have suspended their operation in Russia amid the ongoing war which begin on 24 Feb. Starbuck, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, McDonald's, Adidas, Airbus, American Express, Apple, Boeing, Canada Goose, Cogent, Deloitte, DHL, EY, FedEx, H&M, IBM, Ikea, KPMG, Mastercard, Microsoft, Netflix, Nike, PwC, Sony, TJX, Unilever, UPS, Visa, Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Co. and Yum Brands are the names of few companies that have suspended their businesses in Russia to support Ukraine.