Arnold Schwarzenegger has pleaded for Vladimir Putin to “stop this war” between Russia and Ukraine.
In a lengthy nine-minute video posted to his Twitter account, the actor and former Governor of California outlined his history with Russia, his views on the conflict and the need for it to stop.
Near the end of the video, he directly addresses Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. He says: “To President Putin, I say: You started this war. You are leading this war. You can stop this war.”
Schwarzenegger, who was the first Western film star to make a film in Moscow with Red Heat in 1988, also professed admiration for those protesting the war in Russia.
The Commando actor 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 stated that part of the purpose for filming the video was to try and make Russian soldiers more aware of the circumstances around the conflict.
He also talked about his father’s own prejudices against Russia because of his experiences during the Second World War. Schwarzenegger’s father, Gustav, was a Nazi and served in the war until being injured during the invasion of Russia in 1942.
In the video, Schwarzenegger says he moved past his father’s anti-Russian prejudices because a person’s nationality is not important to him.
Schwarzenegger has 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.
