Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged there would be “no compromises” in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky, in his first known trip out of his country since Russia invaded, paid a visit to Washington to thank US leaders and “ordinary Americans” for their support.
Just before his arrival, the US announced its largest single delivery of arms to Ukraine, the Biden administration will provide 1.85 billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missiles.
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In a speech to Congress, the Ukrainian president said the money is “not charity” but an “investment” in global security and democracy.
Mr Zelensky called the tens of billions of dollars in US military and economic assistance provided over the past year vital to Ukraine’s efforts to beat back Russia and appealed for even more in the future.
“Your money is not charity,” he sought to reassure both those in the room and those watching at home. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
The speech to Congress came after President Joe Biden hosted Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office for strategy consultations, saying the US and Ukraine would maintain their “united defence” as Russia wages a “brutal assault on Ukraine’s right to exist as a nation”.
Congress plans to vote this week on a fresh spending package that includes about $45 billion in additional emergency assistance to Ukraine.
