Arnold Schwarzenegger is a world-renowned Austrian-born American actor, bodybuilder, film producer, as well as a statesman and politician. He gained worldwide fame through lead roles in action films, including the iconic "Terminator" franchise, "Predator", and "Conan the Barbarian". From 2003 to 2011, he served as the Governor of California representing the Republican Party.
Prior to the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, Arnold Schwarzenegger repeatedly demonstrated friendly ties with Ukraine. In particular, he has maintained close friendships with brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko for many years, and in 2018 personally visited Kyiv at the invitation of the capital's mayor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's position on the war in Ukraine
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Schwarzenegger openly supported the Ukrainian people. In March 2022, the actor published a 9-minute video appeal to the Russian people and soldiers, which went viral worldwide.
In this video, he debunked Kremlin narratives about the "denazification" of Ukraine, pointing out that the country's president is Jewish, whose relatives perished at the hands of the Nazis. Iron Arnie bluntly called the war illegal and senseless, accusing the leadership in the Kremlin of sacrificing young soldiers for their own ambitions. He also addressed Putin directly with the words:
You started this war, you are leading this war, you can stop this war
Call to abandon Russian fossil fuels
In June 2022, Arnold Schwarzenegger again publicly supported Ukraine, speaking at the Austrian World Summit climate conference in Austria. The actor called on democratic countries to abandon Russian oil and gas as soon as possible, emphasizing that purchasing energy resources directly finances the war against Ukraine:
Let's be honest with ourselves. The 1,300 missiles that Russia launched into Ukrainian cities in the first two months of the war cost 7.7 billion euros. That's a lot. But at the same time, Europe paid Russia 44 billion euros for fuel. We have blood on our hands, because we are financing this war.
Appearance in Kalush Orchestra's music video
In January 2023, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the music video of the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra and addressed Ukrainians:
Especially now, at this very difficult time. Everyone can have a dream. And everyone can make it come true.
At the end of the music video, Schwarzenegger spoke in Ukrainian, greeting Ukrainians with Shchedryi Vechir (Bountiful Evening).
The frontman of Kalush Orchestra shared impressions of meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger on his Instagram:
We talked about the situation in Ukraine and thanked him for his support, telling him how important it is for us. You know, Arnold @schwarzenegger has actively supported Ukrainians since the first days of the war, for which we are very grateful to him. We believe that international support will only grow stronger.
Schwarzenegger regularly uses his multi-million social media channels to draw attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine, expresses support for Ukrainian refugees, and admires the courage of civilians and the military defending their country. The actor stresses that the civilized world has turned away from official Moscow due to its cruel and unlawful actions on Ukrainian soil.
