A convoluted translation and the applause of the PP to the president

The President of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, intervenes telematically in the hemicycle / EP

The popular show their support for Sánchez after the president’s call to Putin to cease his attacks against Ukraine

The appearance of the Ukrainian president in the Congress of Deputies has left some striking prints in the Lower House. Like the fact that Alberto Núñez-Feijoó’s new Popular Party was one of the groups that has applauded in unison the intervention of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who has accused Russia of perpetrating a “systematic violation of the most basic principles of humanity included in our international order”, and has urged Vladimir Putin to end the attacks.

Although other groups, such as Vox and ERC, have refused to join this applause for Sánchez after Volodímir Zelenski finished his speech. The deputies of both groups remained impassive at his words. What did produce a unanimous applause, with all the deputies rising from their seats – an almost unprecedented sight – was the moment in which Zelensky burst onto the screens in the chamber. All the groups, without exception, applauded and offered their support to the Ukrainian leader in the face of the invasion of his country by Russia.

The latter, the condemnation of Putin and his army, has been present throughout the speech that Zelenski has delivered before the Lower House. However, the translation that was carried out of the Ukrainian leader’s speech was made with some difficulties because the sound was not entirely clear. Something that even raised doubts about whether the entire speech had been understood correctly.

Before the start, the first to take her seat in the hemicycle was Defense Minister Margarita Robles, who arrived fifteen minutes before the rest of the members of the Government. In fact, at 5:00 p.m., the scheduled time for the Ukrainian president to speak, she was the only one who had already occupied her seat. Minutes later, President Pedro Sánchez, Vice Presidents Nadia Calviño and Yolanda Díaz, and the rest of the ministers arrived at their seats. The vice president of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, did not attend. Neither does the head of Education Joan Subirats.

The relevance of the Ukrainian president’s speech has caused Congress to enable the press gallery for the assistance of senators who did not want to miss an appointment that has come to remind other important days in the Lower House such as the day of the Constitution.

Serhii Pohoreltsev, ambassador of Ukraine, was also on the floor of the hemicycle, receiving a standing ovation from the hemicycle.