Robert De Niro says he fears people will grow ‘bored’ by ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict

Robert De Niro has said he fears people could become complacent about the Ukraine-Russia crisis, and warned that Ukraine could be “overtaken” if a stronger position is not enforced by world leaders.

The Taxi Driver star was speaking at the Cambridge University Union on Sunday (27 February), when he was asked about his views on the conflict.

“There are things that are going on in the world, that if you have a voice and you see what’s happening, you have the right to say something about it. You must. You have to,” he said.

“You see what’s happening in Ukraine now, you have to stand up and say ‘you can’t do that, it’s wrong’.

He continued: “It’s that simple. It’s not even about democracy, it’s about right and wrong – the truth.”

De Niro, who frequently discusses his political views in public, was then asked his thoughts on the sanctions imposed on Russia by world leaders.

“The sanctions - I don’t know how that really works, well I sort of do, but I don’t know how much of a bite they have, what teeth they have - that’s really my question,” he said.

“My fear is that this thing will go on and on, and people will get bored, watching it, even – and all of a sudden you’ve got a country like Ukraine that has been overtaken, and you know it shouldn’t be.

“There might have to be a stronger position taken by people,” he added. “And also, this is a terrible thing to be aware of, that we have nuclear weapons that people threaten with... if you use those, nobody’s going to be around.”

He added: “I can’t imagine this world being in that state. But we have to do something... to stop this kind of aggression.”

De Niro is one of many cultural figures to have spoken out against the war in Ukraine.

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