Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a historic address to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday night, declaring to both Americans and the world that “Ukraine is alive and kicking” while also urging members of Congress to strengthen sanctions against Russia and provide more aid.
“Against all odds and doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn’t fall,” the Ukrainian president said in a speech from the House chamber, thanking the United States for billions of dollars in military aid. “Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
ZELENSKY GIVES PELOSI A UKRAINIAN FLAG DURING ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R-CA) and Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the joint session of Congress, hoisting up a Ukrainian flag signed by soldiers in the midst of the war behind Zelensky as he wrapped up his speech. Zelensky presented the leaders with the gift, while Pelosi gave Zelensky the U.S. flag that flew over the Capitol on Wednesday in honor of his visit.
Zelensky received a standing ovation and cheers from members of Congress as he walked into the House chamber. Many inside were wearing yellow and blue, standing in solidarity with the country. At one point, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) held a Ukrainian flag as Zelensky took his place ahead of the speech.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) sat with Democrats in the chamber beside Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), a member of the Jan. 6 committee. Eighty-six of the 213 House Republicans in the 117th Congress were in attendance for the speech. During many of the standing ovations, there were several Republican members who did not participate. Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), all of whom have remained critical of funding to Ukraine, remained seated.
The speech doesn’t appear to have moved some lawmakers who are opposed to providing the country with additional aid. Gaetz said the speech did not change his views on Ukraine, according to the Washington Post.
“I attended out of respect, not agreement,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Zelensky spoke for roughly 25 minutes in English, making a passionate plea for the future of his country. The Ukrainian president made the case that the U.S. and lawmakers have changed the trajectory of the war against Russia and that continued funding and assistance will speed up Ukraine’s victory.
“I want to thank you, all of you. I thank every American family. … I thank President Biden and both parties in the Senate and the House for your invaluable assistance from everyone who’s now at the front line,” he said.
More than 300 days into the war, Zelensky told Congress they will need more weapons to win on the battlefield but said Ukraine will “never surrender.”
American support, he said, is crucial “not just to stand in such fight but to get to the turning point to win.”
“We have artillery. Yes, thank you,” he said, referring to the weapons the U.S. has supplied. “Is it enough? Honestly, not really,” he joked to some laughter from lawmakers in the chamber.
In his speech, Zelensky said President Joe Biden supported his 10-point peace plan but urged Congress to help execute the plan as well.
“We need peace. Yes. Ukraine has already offered proposals, which I just discussed with President Biden, our peace formula, 10 points which should and must be implemented for our joint security and the summit which can be held,” Zelensky said. “Each of you, ladies and gentlemen, can assist in the implementation to ensure that American leadership remains solid, bicameral, and bipartisan.”
The Ukrainian president, wearing an olive-green shirt and cargo pants, compared the fighting in eastern Ukraine to pivotal American battles like the Battle of Saratoga, the turning point of the American Revolutionary War.
“Just like the battle of Saratoga, the fight for Bakhmut will change the tragic story of our war for independence and of freedom,” Zelensky said, referring to a city in Ukraine on the front lines of Russia’s aggression.
After Zelensky left the House chamber, a Ukrainian delegation in the upper deck broke into a chant in Ukrainian. They ended by shouting, “God bless America!”
In his first foreign trip since the war began, Zelensky met with Biden at the White House, holding a joint news conference just hours before in which he thanked Americans for their support and emphasized that air defense systems are crucial to countering Russian attacks.
“This is a very important step to create secure airspace for Ukraine, and it will be the only way we would be able to deprive the terrorist country to strike our energy sector, our people, and our infrastructure,” Zelensky said Wednesday afternoon.
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Zelensky’s address to Congress comes as Ukrainian officials warn Moscow is preparing for a massive winter offensive and as lawmakers are preparing to vote on a massive year-end spending package that includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine. If approved, this funding would be the largest U.S. investment in Ukraine’s war effort yet.
It’s not clear if the speech will help facilitate an agreement from the Senate to speed up the passage of a spending package that includes nearly $50 billion for Ukraine. All 100 senators have not yet agreed to fast-track the process. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who opposes more aid to Ukraine, was not in the chamber and told CNN he didn’t even watch the speech.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he believes Republicans who oppose more Ukraine aid are “in the distinct minority.”
“There’s no domestic problem that gets better with Russia winning in Ukraine,” Graham said to reporters on Wednesday morning.
The U.S. has committed almost $20 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in late February. The White House is bracing for more resistance from the GOP-controlled House of Representatives next session after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) warned that GOP lawmakers will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine.
