Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has boasted a bewildering record of appearances in parliaments around the world since the Russian invasion began on February 24, but until now he has never addressed them in person. The United States Capitol received it this Wednesday night to listen to – this time not over a screen – in a special joint session billed as “historic.” And Zelensky picked up that gauntlet, peppering his words with references to heroic episodes of the past: from the Battle of Saratoga, the turning point of the American Revolutionary War, to President Franklin Roosevelt, the country’s leader for much of World War II, or the “Allied Resistance Against the Nazis at Christmas 1944”. All of this led Zelenskyy to the conclusion: The fight his army is currently fighting in the heart of Europe is crucial, and that is why his troops need “every possible help” more than ever. “We have the ability to change the course of the war,” he said.
Dressed in his usual battle green uniform, Zelensky was greeted by four minutes of cheers and applause from the congressmen, delaying the start of his speech, a speech he opened by saying “Dear Americans” to make it clear that you, the support him, like it or not, the defense of Ukraine with its taxes, was also on the way. “Against all odds, Ukraine did not fall. It’s alive and kicking,” the leader proclaimed at the end of an intense day in Washington, where he met with President Joe Biden at the White House. It was his first, dangerous trip outside of Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Saturday will be 10 months. “We defeated Russia. We are not afraid. Nobody should have it,” the Ukrainian president continued. “This victory should inspire the global community. It is also a triumph for Americans. Europe is more united and free than ever. Russian tyranny no longer has us. The Russians will also be free, but only if they defeat the Kremlin in their minds.”
His appearance comes as Congress debates whether to pass omnibus legislation that would do many things, including a $45 billion aid line for Ukraine, before Democrats cede control of the House of Representatives. “We have artillery, yes, thank you. It’s enough? No, honestly,” said Zelenskyy. “Your money is not charity, it is an investment in global security, which we manage in the most responsible way.” The president had been looking for months for the pulpit, which he finally occupied on Wednesday telling US lawmakers that their decisions “can save Ukraine”.
The final coup for the president, who was previously an actor, came when he waved a flag of his country. The yellow stripe was covered with signatures stamped by several Ukrainian soldiers the day before on the front of the Bakhmut Front, a city in the Donetsk region of the Donbass, where the fiercest fighting against the Russian army is currently taking place. He presented it to US Vice President Kamala Harris and the Speaker of the House, who returned with an American flag. Both followed the speech from the upper gallery behind Zelensky’s back.
The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, received him in the halls of Congress at the end of a busy day at the White House. Zelenski, who arrived at the Polish border by train to board a plane that landed in Washington at noon, spent two hours meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. Later both visited the press in a room in the east wing.
Pelosi chaired the joint session in what will surely be her last major appearance before leaving a position she has held twice (from 2007 to 2011 and since 2019) next week. This position makes him the third authority in the country, after Vice President and Vice President Kamala Harris, who didn’t want to miss the evening. The Democratic Party lost control of the House of Representatives in the last midterm election, and its position is set to be filled by California Republican Kevin McCarthy in the new year.
Subscribe to EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without limits.
Subscribe to
The veteran politician also referenced the story, recalling that another “president at war,” one Winston Churchill, had addressed US congressmen in late 1941. She knows this because her father was a member of the House of Representatives when Winston Churchill then spoke on the same, dramatic stage. “Eighty-one years later this week, it is particularly moving for me to be present as another heroic wartime leader speaks before Congress, with democracy itself at stake,” he wrote in a letter addressing his colleagues Zelensky’s speech prompted participation.
Despite Pelosi’s efforts, the floor was not completely filled. It’s Christmas week in Washington, and few in a convention living through its final weeks before its renewal expected to be in town. As if that wasn’t enough, a storm of epic proportions is coming to greet the winter that promises to make travel hell across much of the north of the country.
Follow all international information on Facebook and Twitteror in our weekly newsletter.