Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a whirlwind visit to Washington and hopes to achieve more with direct interaction with President Biden than he did over the phone. The Ukrainian president urged his American counterpart to release more aid for Ukraine in its war efforts with the Russians who continue to relentlessly pound the frontlines.
With 300 days of the war behind him, the war enters a new phase for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people who hold on grimly to the eastern front largely due to generous aid from the Americans and their European allies. In a historic address to Congress, probably his first outside his beleaguered country since Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the money the west gives is not charity, but an investment to protect the free world as we know it.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Sought To Draw A Parallel With The Attack On Pearl Harbor
His address to Congress was preceded by his meeting with the American President at the White House. Congress prepares to decide on sending out an additional $45 billion in emergency assistance as a part of an even larger spending set. Biden also announced on Wednesday that America will send a powerful Patriot anti-missile battery that will protect Ukraine against the devastating Russian attack.
In his virtual address to Congress in March, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had made an emotional plea for adopting aggressive methods to help him in his war efforts. He invoked key tragedies suffered by the US in its fight in the Second World War including the devastation of Pearl Harbor and the Nine-Eleven attacks. He made an emotional appeal and told members that Ukraine was experiencing now what they had faced over 75 years ago.
But even as Volodymyr Zelenskyy embarked on a perilous journey back to Ukraine, it was not clear that a roadmap had been drawn towards ending the conflict. One of the main purposes of the visit was to find a way to end the conflict that has been devastating for Ukraine and equally devastating for the European economy.
