Ukraine: At least 117 children killed in war, Zelensky tells Italian lawmakers, calls on Pope Francis to mediate
- ‘But 117 will not be the final number,’ he warns in video link to both chambers of parliament in Rome; ‘they keep killing’
- After the Ukrainian president’s address, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi said his nation wants ‘to draw a path to bring Ukraine closer to Europe’
At least 117 children have been killed so far in Russia’s war on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told Italian lawmakers.
“But 117 will not be the final number,” he warned in a video link to both chambers of parliament in Rome. “They keep killing,” he said according to the Italian translation.
According to the office for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 925 civilians have been confirmed killed in Ukraine, including 75 children. It has warned this is likely an underestimate.
Zelensky called on Italy to freeze Russian assets and confiscate luxury goods such as yachts, arguing that this was necessary to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin. “You only need to stop one person so that millions can survive.”
Following Zelensky’s video address, Prime Minister Mario Draghi told lawmakers Italy wants “to draw a path to bring Ukraine closer to Europe”. Italy has so far frozen assets worth about US$880 million belonging to Russian oligarchs, Draghi added.