Wladimir Klitschko claims those who 'don't isolate Russia economically' are 'bringing bullets' into Ukraine
- Wladimir Klitschko did not pull his punches in a recent interview with Newsmax.
- The media channel asked the former boxer about those in the US who are unsupportive of Ukraine.
In a message directed at influential figures on the American right and to all those who "passively observe" what is going on in his native Ukraine, Hall of Fame boxer Wladimir Klitschko says, "Blood is on your hands."
Klitschko retired from boxing as one of the best modern-day heavyweights to ever compete and recently has been routinely seen alongside his older brother, Vitali.
Vitali Klitschko, the Kyiv mayor and a fellow Hall of Famer, has been one of Ukraine's most prominent leaders in the country's ongoing war efforts against the Russian invasion.
The Klitschko brothers have been using their public platform to amplify the realities of war in their country's major cities.
This week, Wladimir appeared on Newsmax and was asked by host Eric Bolling about influential figures in right-wing American media and politics who seem unsupportive of Ukraine.
Fox News stalwart Tucker Carlson has been described by the Washington Post as having views that are sympathetic to Russia President Vladimir Putin. Carlson has also, on his show, railed against discussions in Congress about supplying military aid to Ukraine, as Rolling Stone reported this month.
Meanwhile, conservative commentator and talk show host Candace Owens pushed a Putin talking point that Russia created Ukraine, according to USA Today, and also tweeted "Russian lives matter" on March 9.
So, when asked what he wants to say to those American conservatives, like Carlson and Owens, Klitschko did not hold back.
"If you passively observe what is going on," he began. "And we do share the same principles of freedom, and democratic principles, like the United States [and] like the western world, so to speak.
"If you're passively observing your part of this invasion … blood is on your hands, too."
He continued: "If you still have business and trade with Russia and you don't isolate Russia economically, you're bringing bullets and rubber into [Ukraine]."
Klitschko joined the Ukrainian Defence Forces in Kyiv earlier this year.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, with Putin attempting to justify the aggression as necessary to "denazify" the country.
In the weeks since, more than 10 million people have been displaced as multiple Ukraine towns and cities have been shelled from Russian aggression. Thousands have died.