Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a speech in front of the Members of the German Bundestag on Tuesday, 11 June 2024. Prior to this, the special event was opened with a welcome address from Bundestag President Bärbel Bas. Bas had already condemned the attack by Russia in breach of international law on 24 February 2022, the day of the invasion of Ukraine, and declared her solidarity on behalf of the Bundestag with the people of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian President first spoke to the Members of the Bundestag a few weeks after the attack on 17 March 2022. That time, however, Zelenskyy appeared in the plenary chamber via video link. In his video address to Parliament, the President appealed for more support in ending the war in his country.
Previously, the German Bundestag had declared in a special session on 27 February 2022 in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine that the „Federal Republic of Germany stands staunchly and steadfastly alongside our Ukrainian friends“. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) roundly condemned the Russian attack in a government policy statement and described the war as a watershed moment for Germany. It was in this speech that Scholz coined the term „Zeitenwende“, or turning point.