Ever since Russia invaded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said in a heartfelt speech to Congress, his country has gone through its own version of September 11th and Pearl Harbor, and called on the United States to protect its skies while citing Martin Luther King and the Founding Fathers.
The president also confronted Vice President Joe Biden; telling him to become the leader of the free world. and demanded more sanctions against Russia in order to put an end to its war machine. He wants fighter jets for protection and brought graphic footage of civilians being hurt in Kyiv while urging lawmakers to ‘do more,’ in order to protect his country.
“I am addressing the President Biden. You are the leader of the nation, of your great nation. I wish you be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace”
Zelensky told Congress that being the leader of the world meant being the leader of peace in a sombering address. During his testimony, he was often greeted with standing ovations from members of Congress. After Zelensky’s statement, Biden delivered his own speech, announcing a $800 million military aid package. On Wednesday, he also named Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal for the first time. Additionally, Zelensky urged for the formation of a new alliance outside of NATO in order to guard against further attacks and protect the country from Vladimir Putin’s bullying.
During his speech, Zelensky showed a film depicting the carnage and devastation that Ukraine has seen. The images honors the civilians of Ukraine. One lawmaker broke down in tears as it played. Zelensky reaffirmed his call for a no-fly zone over his country; which he had previously expressed to the Canadian and British parliaments.
Zelensky Compares The Attacks To How America Suffered
The United States and its allies fear that such a move might lead to World War III. “The killings of my country’s children and the devastation Russia caused is making me lose the will to live,” he said in his final, impassioned appeal in English.
He has been on a personal appeal trip to Western countries in an effort to increase their retaliation against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian president has pressed his country’s case with the strength of his personality, standing before parliamentarians in green military fatigues with shades of stubble on his cheek. At one point, Zelensky drew comparisons between what; his country is going through and some of the most significant events in American history; including the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 that triggered World War II and September 11th, 2001; which destroyed the World Trade Center’s twin towers.
The CVC auditorium showed a live video feed of Zelensky, who had returned to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, to join the body. Members of both parties were in attendance at the meeting. Several MPs wore pins in the stripes of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow. In the north-central Ukrainian city of Chernihiv; Russian soldiers shot and murdered ten civilians who were waiting in line for bread. Following Zelensky’s remarks; Vice President Biden delivered a statement of his own. Next week, Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Brussels; for an NATO conference to examine the crisis in Ukraine. In his speech on Wednesday; Vice President Joe Biden offered a comprehensive rundown of the U.S. government’s latest round of weaponry sales to Ukraine.
After the address, legislators streamed out of the auditorium; whispering to one another about what they had just heard. The group’s response split along political lines. As the Biden administration has feared; direct military support from the United States to Ukraine might lead to an escalation of tensions with Russia and the outbreak of World War III.
