“Being the leader of the world,” Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelensky said in an address to Congress Wednesday morning, his words aimed, though, at U.S. President Joe Biden, “means being the leader of peace.”
Zelensky used the address to appeal to U.S. leaders for enforcement of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which is enduring a third week of a war waged by Russia.
The U.S. and NATO have been reluctant to directly engage Russia in Ukraine, even as video of Russian forces relentlessly shelling Ukrainian residential areas and hospitals has made visceral the devastating toll.
The West has chosen to respond with sanctions that have had impacts on the Russian economy, forcing the shutdown of the country’s stock market, devaluing the currency and sending prices for consumer goods skyrocketing, but there is no evidence that any of this has had any effect on Russian President Vladimir Putin or his inner circle.
Meanwhile, the deaths and devastation in Ukraine continues, as the world watches on TV.
“Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death, for thousands of people,” Zelensky told Congress on Wednesday. “I need to protect our sky. I need your help.”
He offered an alternative to a no-fly zone – asking for air defense systems that would protect against strikes and new aircraft for his pilots to use in defending its airspace.
“Aircraft that can help Ukraine, help Europe, you know that they exist, and you have them. But they are on Earth, not in Ukrainian sky. They do not defend our people,” Zelensky said.
Biden, in an address Wednesday afternoon, responded to Zelensky’s request with an announcement of an additional $800 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, but the president stopped short of agreeing to the request for enforcement of a no-fly zone.
“He was convincing, and it was a significant speech,” said Biden, who watched the speech from the White House Wednesday morning. “He speaks for a people who have shown remarkable courage and strength in the face of brutal aggression. Courage and strength that’s inspired not only Ukrainians, but the entire world.”
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in remarks before the president’s announcement that he would support the provision of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, “and for new sanctions on those responsible for supporting the Russian government’s barbaric invasion of a peaceful and sovereign neighbor.”
“I was incredibly moved by President Zelenskyy’s words this morning and by the powerful images of the destruction inflicted on the Ukrainian people as a result of Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets. As President Zelenskyy noted, the U.S. has already taken unprecedented steps to rally the world to isolate Russia economically and to support Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself,” Warner said.
Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), in a statement, said “the United States, and the entire world, must not allow (Putin’s) despicable actions to go without severe consequences.”
“I will continue to stand with the Ukrainian people who have shown incredible resilience and courage in the face of unbelievable pain and horror,” Wittman said. “This administration must continue to do everything in their power to provide aid and support to Ukraine and put an end to this horrific and unprovoked war. We must continue and accelerate the provision of military aid to the Ukrainian armed forces, backfill contributions of our allies and partners to Ukraine’s defense, and reinforce the strength of NATO.
“As President Zelenskyy so eloquently stated this morning, ‘Being the leader of the world means being the leader of peace.’ I am grateful to President Zelenskyy for his willingness to speak to members of Congress this morning – we cannot begin to imagine the suffering that he and his people continue to endure,” Wittman said.
Story by Chris Graham
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