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WASHINGTON , Dec 23 (AP) \u2014 Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskyy told cheering U.S. legislators during a defiant wartime visit to the nation\u2019s capital on Wednesday that against all odds his country still stands, thanking Americans for helping to fund the war effort with money that is \u201cnot charity,\u201d but an \u201cinvestment\u201d in global security and democracy.<\/p>\n
The whirlwind stop in Washington \u2014 his first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February \u2014 was aimed at reinvigorating support for his country in the U.S. and around the world at a time when there is concern that allies are growing weary of the costly war and its disruption to global food and energy supplies.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy called the tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic assistance provided over the past year vital to Ukraine\u2019s efforts to beat back Russia and appealed for even more in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour money is not charity,\u201d he sought to reassure both those in the room and those watching at home. \u201cIt\u2019s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just before his arrival, the U.S. announced a new $1.8 billion military aid package, including for the first time Patriot surface-to-air missiles. And Congress planned to vote this week on a fresh spending package that includes about $45 billion in additional emergency assistance to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The speech to Congress came after President Joe Biden hosted Zelenskyy in the Oval Office for strategy consultations, saying the U.S. and Ukraine would maintain their \u201cunited defense\u201d as Russia wages a \u201cbrutal assault on Ukraine\u2019s right to exist as a nation.\u201d Biden pledged to help bring about a \u201cjust peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy told Biden that he had wanted to visit sooner and his visit now demonstrates that the \u201csituation is under control, because of your support.\u201d<\/p>\n
The highly sensitive trip came after 10 months of a brutal war that has seen tens of thousands of casualties on both sides and devastation for Ukrainian civilians.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy traveled to Washington aboard a U.S. Air Force jet. The visit had been long sought by both sides, but the right conditions only came together in the last 10 days, U.S. officials said, after high-level discussions about the security both of Zelenskyy and of his people while he was outside of Ukraine. Zelenskyy spent less than 10 hours in Washington before beginning the journey back to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
In his remarks to lawmakers, Zelenskky harked back to U.S. victories in the Battle of the Bulge, a turning point against Nazi Germany in World War II, and the Revolutionary War Battle of Saratoga, an American victory that helped draw France\u2019s aid for U.S. independence. The Ukrainian leader predicted that next year would be a \u201cturning point\u201d in the conflict, \u201cwhen Ukrainian courage and American resolve must guarantee the future of our common freedom \u2014 the freedom of people who stand for their values.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy received thunderous applause from members of Congress and presented lawmakers with a Ukrainian flag autographed by front-line troops in Bakhmut, in Ukraine\u2019s contested Donetsk province. The flag was displayed behind him on the rostrum by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris. Pelosi, in turn, presented Zelenskyy with an American flag that had flown over the Capitol that day, and Zelenskyy pumped it up and down as he exited the chamber.<\/p>\n
Declaring in his speech that Ukraine \u201cwill never surrender,\u201d Zelenskyy warned that the stakes of the conflict were greater than just the fate of his nation \u2014 that democracy worldwide is being tested.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis battle cannot be ignored, hoping that the ocean or something else will provide protection,\u201d he said, speaking in English for what he had billed as a \u201cspeech to Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, in a joint news conference with Biden, Zelenskyy was pressed on how Ukraine would try to bring an end to the conflict. He rejected Biden\u2019s framing of finding a \u201cjust peace,\u201d saying, \u201cFor me as a president, \u2018just peace\u2019 is no compromises.\u201d He said the war would end once Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty, freedom and territorial integrity were restored, and Russia had paid back Ukraine for all the damage inflicted by its forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere can\u2019t be any \u2018just peace\u2019 in the war that was imposed on us,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Biden, for his part, said Russia was \u201ctrying to use winter as a weapon, but Ukrainian people continue to inspire the world.\u201d During the news conference, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had \u201cno intention of stopping this cruel war.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two leaders appeared to share a warm rapport, laughing at each other\u2019s comments and patting each other on the back throughout the visit, though Zelenskyy made clear he will continue to press Biden and other Western leaders for ever more support.<\/p>\n
He said that after the Patriot system was up and running, \u201cwe will send another signal to President Biden that we would like to get more Patriots.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in the war,\u201d Zelenskyy added with a smile, as Biden chuckled at the direct request. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m really sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biden told Zelenskyy that it was \u201cimportant for the American people, and for the world, to hear directly from you, Mr. President, about Ukraine\u2019s fight, and the need to continue to stand together through 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy had headed to Washington after making a daring and dangerous trip Tuesday to what he called the hottest spot on the 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) front line of the war, the city of Bakhmut.<\/p>\n
Poland\u2019s private broadcaster, TVN24, said Zelenskyy crossed into Poland early Wednesday on his way to Washington. The station showed footage of what appeared to be Zelenskyy arriving at a train station and being escorted to a motorcade of American SUVs. TVN24 said the video, partially blurred for security reasons, was shot in Przemysl, a Polish border town that has been the arrival point for many refugees fleeing the war.<\/p>\n
Officials, citing security concerns, were cagey about Zelenskyy\u2019s travel plans, but a U.S. official confirmed that Zelenskyy arrived on a U.S. Air Force jet that landed at Joint Base Andrews, just outside the capital, from the Polish city of Rzeszow.<\/p>\n
Biden told Zelenskyy, who wore a combat-green sweatshirt and boots, that \u201dit\u2019s an honor to be by your side.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. and Ukrainian officials have made clear they do not envision an imminent resolution to the war and are preparing for fighting to continue for some time. The latest infusion of U.S. money would be the biggest yet \u2014 and exceed Biden\u2019s $37 billion request.<\/p>\n
Biden repeated that while the U.S. will arm and train Ukraine, American forces will not be directly engaged in the war.<\/p>\n
The latest U.S. military aid package includes not only a Patriot missile battery but precision guided bombs for fighter jets, U.S. officials said. It represents an expansion in the kinds of advanced weaponry intended to bolster Ukraine\u2019s air defenses against what has been an increasing barrage of Russian missiles.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s Foreign Ministry has said the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system would be considered a provocative step and that the system and any crews accompanying it would be a legitimate target for Moscow\u2019s military.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a defensive system,\u201d Biden said of sending the missile system. \u201cIt\u2019s not escalatory \u2014 it\u2019s defensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The visit comes at an important moment, with the White House bracing for greater resistance when Republicans take control of the House in January and give more scrutiny to aid for Ukraine. GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California has said his party will not write a \u201cblank check\u201d for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Zelenskky appeared well aware of political divisions in the U.S. over prolonged overseas spending, and called on the House and Senate lawmakers to ensure American leadership remains \u201cbicameral and bipartisan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer opened the chamber\u2019s session on Wednesday by saying that passage of the aid package and confirmation of the new U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne M. Tracy, would send a strong signal that Americans stand \u201cunequivocally\u201d with Ukraine. Tracy was confirmed later on a 93-2 vote.<\/p>\n
The Senate\u2019s top Republican, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, said \u201cthe most basic reasons for continuing to help Ukraine degrade and defeat the Russian invaders are cold, hard, practical American interests.\u201d He said \u201cdefeating Russia\u2019s aggression will help prevent further security crises in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s invasion, which began Feb. 24, has lost momentum. The illegally annexed provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia remain fiercely contested.<\/p>\n
With the fighting in the east at a stalemate, Moscow has used missiles and drones to attack Ukraine\u2019s power equipment, hoping to leave people without electricity as freezing weather sets in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON , Dec 23 (AP) \u2014 Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskyy told cheering U.S. legislators during a defiant wartime visit to the nation\u2019s capital on Wednesday that against all odds his country still stands, thanking Americans for helping to fund the war effort with money that is \u201cnot charity,\u201d but an \u201cinvestment\u201d in global security and democracy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-207500","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207500\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}