Arnold Schwarzenegger wants Putin to ‘Stop this war’

Arnold Schwarzenegger wants Putin to ‘Stop this war’!

Austrian-born former bodybuilding champion, and also the former governor of the US state of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has a message for the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Terminator” star Arnold Schwarzenegger took to social media sharing a video appeal to Putin on Thursday to end the “senseless” war in Ukraine and also praised Russians protesting the conflict as his “new heroes.”

“I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share,” 74 years old actor captioned his video message.

The Hollywood star in the nine-minute video said that the Kremlin was intentionally lying to Russians by saying the invasion was intended to “denazify” Ukraine. Russia describes its actions as a “special operation”.

The video starts with a tale about meeting his hero, the world champion Russian weightlifter Yuri Petrovich Vlasov, in Vienna when he was a 14-year-old, Schwarzenegger went on to explain his deepening affection and admiration for the kindness of the Russian people.

“I’m speaking to you today because there are things going on in the world that are being kept from you, terrible things that you should know about,” he said.

“The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me,” he said. “That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine.”

“I know that your government has told you that this is a war to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine,” he said.

“Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis,” he said, noting that the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is Jewish.

“This is not true. Those in power in the Kremlin started this war. This is not the Russian people’s war.”

 

Schwarzenegger recalled the wounds suffered by his father while fighting for the Nazis in Russia during World War II.

“He was broken physically and mentally and lived the rest of his life in pain,” he said.

“To the Russian troops listening to this broadcast… I don’t want you to be broken like my father,” he added.

“This is not the war to defend Russia that your grandfathers or your great-grandfathers fought,” he said.

“This is an illegal war. Your lives, your limbs, your futures have been sacrificed for a senseless war condemned by the entire world.”

Addressing Russian President Putin directly, Schwarzenegger said: “You started this war. You are leading this war. You can stop this war.”

He concluded the message with praise for Russians risking arrest by protesting against the war. “The world has seen your bravery,” he said, adding “You are my new heroes.”

It is pertinent to mention here that Schwarzenegger’s Twitter account has 4.9 million followers – and is one of the 22 followed by the Kremlin’s official account.