Arnold Schwarzenegger has told Vladimir Putin to ‘stop this war’ between Russia and Ukraine with a plea on Twitter.
The former Governor of California is now among the many celebrities to speak out against the Russian government and the invasion of Ukraine.
At the end of February 2022 Putin gave the order for Russian troops and tanks to invade Ukraine. Since then millions of people have become displaced from their homes, forced to flee. Cities have been bombed and lives have been lost.
What did Arnie say to Putin?
In reaction to the war Arnie has shared a rather lengthy nine minute video – which also included subtitles in Russian – during which the 74-year-old Austrian-born actor spoke directly to the camera, and the Russian president, saying: ‘To President Putin, I say: You started this war. You are leading this war. You can stop this war.’
In the post Arnie also spoke those showing ‘bravery’ in their protests against the war calling them his ‘new heroes’.
He said: ‘The world has seen your bravery. We know that you have suffered the consequences of your courage. You have been arrested. You have been jailed. And you have been beaten. You are my new heroes.’
Schwarzenegger also said part of the purpose of the video is to try and make Russian soldiers more aware of the circumstances around the conflict.
The five-time Mr Universe winner was the first Western film star to make a film in Moscow when back in 1988 he made the film Red Heat.
This isn’t the first time the Twins star has spoken out against the Russian president. In the past he’s been a frequent critic of Putin’s in recent years and called former president Donald Trump “a little wet noodle” for “fanboying” over the Russian leader.
Reaction to the video
Ok, so Vladimir Putin hasn’t responded to the video in any way – but many people have praised Arnie for his pleas for peace.
The British MP Tobias Ellwood retweeted the video calling it the ‘most powerful and persuasive message to Russian people’ about the actions of the President.
Other people have commended the actor for sharing the video – which has now racked up over 3.4 million views and over 80,000 retweets – calling him ‘impressive’ and ‘brave’ after the star also mentioned his father’s former anti-Russian views.
Arnie spoke of the story of his father, who was a Nazi soldier, fighting against Russia before being injured in 1942. However, he said he has moved past his father’s anti-Russian prejudices because a person’s nationality is not important to him.
