
Ukraine’s embattled president has issued a call to foreign nationals who are friends of peace and democracy to travel to the country to fight against the Russian invasion.
The appeal from Volodymyr Zelenskiy, published on the Ukrainian presidency’s website early on Sunday, said the Ukrainian armed forces were in the process of setting up a foreign legion unit for international volunteers.
He said it is the beginning of a war against Europe, against European structures, against democracy, against basic human rights, against a global order of law, rules and peaceful coexistence.
The president called on anyone who wants to join the defence of Ukraine, Europe and the world to come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals.
The call was repeated on Twitter by Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, and was expected to be the focus of his briefing for international media on Sunday afternoon.
Interested volunteers have been told to contact the defence attache of the Ukrainian embassies in their home countries.