Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was given a standing ovation on Capitol Hill for his speech to a special session of Congress in an effort to convince lawmakers and senators to continue funding his country’s fight against Russian invaders.
After his meeting at the White House with US President Joe Biden, Zelensky was called to address a bipartisan audience in his first known trip outside Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in late February. Republicans have repeatedly expressed reservations about spending tens of billions of dollars on Ukraine.
Several seconds of cheering continued as Zelenskiy reached the podium, several MPs reaching out to shake his hand.
“It’s too much for me,” Zelensky joked as he began his speech. Zelenskiy spent the first part of his visit in Washington, meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House before his speech at the US Capitol on Wednesday night.
The Ukrainian president’s address to Congress began with a note of gratitude for the United States’ continued support in Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression and assured lawmakers that Ukraine is “as alive as ever.”
“The battle is not only for the life, liberty and security of Ukrainians or any other nation that Russia intends to conquer,” Zelensky said. “The struggle will determine what world our children and grandchildren will live in, and then their children and grandchildren. It will determine whether it will be a republic of Ukrainians and Americans for all.”
A key element of Zelenky’s speech was the next aid package and one of the main reasons he is in Washington today. “You can accelerate our victory,” he said, a potentially powerful argument for Republicans who are undecided about the spending bill before Congress.
“Your money is not charity,” added Zelensky. “It’s an investment.”
The Ukrainian president credits American leadership for uniting Europe against Russian aggression. “Europe is now stronger and more independent than ever,” he said. Holding Europe together in the coming months will be a key challenge for the United States as Russia tries to use high energy prices and cold winter temperatures to break allied will to support Kyiv.
The decisions of the Congress, Zelensky added, can save Ukraine. “Let these decisions be made,” he said in an appeal to approve the new round of nearly $50 billion for Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky presented the Congress with a Ukrainian flag from Bakhmut, one of the fronts where the fiercest fighting is unfolding. He said it was given to him by “our heroes” when he was at the front the day before. “When I was in Bakhmut yesterday, our heroes gave me the flag, their flag, the banner of those who defend Ukraine, Europe and the world with their lives,” he said before handing over the Ukrainian national symbol signed by soldiers to outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and US Vice President Kamala Harris, ex officio President of the US Senate.
Zelensky’s name was added to a long list of leaders who have addressed a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The first was by King Kalakaua of Hawaii in 1874. In wartime, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani addressed the US Congress. The relevant list also includes royals and Pope Francis, the only head of the Roman Catholic Church to have ascended to the speaker’s podium.
It was also one of the last times House Speaker Nancy Pelosi presided over the session before Republicans officially took over the majority on Jan. 3.
Pelosi welcomes Zelensky to Capitol Hill
The speaker of the House of Representatives welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to the US Capitol on Wednesday night as part of the Ukrainian president’s short visit to Washington.
Pelosi said she welcomes Zelensky to Congress “with great pride” and acknowledged discussions she had a few months ago about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on children during a previous visit by the Ukrainian first lady to the US.
“I’ve told the president over and over again that children and the war that uses women as a weapon of war is something that the Russians should be held accountable for,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi called Zelensky “brave” and “courageous” and said “all of Congress” looks forward to “hearing your message of unity, courage and determination,” and in her brief speech again invoked her father, who was Congress when Winston Churchill came before a joint session, calling this visit “a source of pride, part of our family heritage” and thanked the Ukrainian president for his visit.
Zelensky called his visit “a great honor” and described it as a gesture of “respect to your country” after her support.
Zelensky’s visit to the US is his first known trip outside Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in late February. This week marks 10 months since the start of the war.
Members of Congress were photographed showing Zelensky around the Capitol Rotunda and Statuary Hall, two of the building’s most iconic locations.
Planning for Zelensky’s visit and speech to the US Congress began in October, when Pelosi met with the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk.
Three hundred days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky knows that Congress controls the “purse” of the United States. Zelensky’s historic visit to Washington coincides with a new package of US military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles. The Ukrainian president also aims to send a message to Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin that the US and its NATO allies remain on Ukraine’s side.
Zelensky-Biden White House meeting and $1.85 billion in military aid
Earlier, Zelensky had a private meeting at the White House with US President Joe Biden, while a little later they held a joint press conference, during which the new aid package to Ukraine was officially announced.
During the press conference, the US president emphasized that the US and Ukraine have been in close contact since the war began, but underlined that it was “especially good to meet up close and look each other in the eye”.
At the same time, he announced $1.85 billion in aid to Ukraine with war hardware, including Patriots and precision bombs, among other things. “It will take some time to complete the necessary training” to operate the system, he stressed, but said the Patriot missiles would be a “critical asset” to Ukraine’s defense.
Joe Biden added that the meeting comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin “escalates his brutal attacks” on Ukraine. “It’s terrible what he’s doing,” he added, saying he got the sense that his Ukrainian counterpart is open to pursuing a “fair” peace deal to end the war, but Putin has shown no intention of ending the war.
