Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky is slated to give a virtual joint address before US Congress this week amid Russia’s ongoing attack on his nation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the invitation on Monday morning in a letter to colleagues.
The address will take place at 9am EST Wednesday, 15 March. Mr Zelensky is expected to continue his calls for the west to bolster Ukraine’s military with fighter jets and other weapons.
“The Congress, our country and the world are in awe of the people of Ukraine, who have shown extraordinary courage, resilience and determination in the face of Russia’s unprovoked, vicious, and illegal war,” Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer wrote in their letter.
They denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “cruel and diabolical aggression” and noted how Congress passed $13.6bn in aid to Ukraine in the most recent omnibus spending bill as well as sanctions against the Russian regime.
“We look forward to the privilege of welcoming President Zelenskyy’s address to the House and Senate and to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy,” the letter said.
The address comes as Mr Zelensky criticised the United States for rejecting Poland’s offer to send MiG-29 fighter jets to a US military base in Germany.
Plenty of members of Congress, including some Democrats, criticised President Joe Biden for not sending the jets. Ms Pelosi acknowledged Mr Zelensky’s frustration in her weekly press conference last week after a 45-minute conversation with the Ukrainian president.
“He – one of the things he called upon, of course – he wants planes, he wants anti‑missile weaponry, he wants armored cars, he wants a number – tanks. But he also – he wants the planes, the planes, the planes,” she said. “You know that. But he also said that we’re going to need everybody’s help in rebuilding Ukraine as soon as we end this war. He was very positive about that.”
With this week’s appearance, Mr Zelensky will join a group of foreign heads of state to address Congress directly which includes his predecessor Petro Poroshenko, former German Chancellor Anglea Merkel, Winston Churchill and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He previously spoke to members of US Congress via a Zoom call earlier this month, where he pleaded for lawmakers’ help in providing equipment to the Ukrainian military.
Mr Zelensky also delivered a powerful speech before the British Parliament last week, where he concluded with a reference to Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “The question for us now is to be or not to be. … Now I can get you a definitive answer. It’s definitely ‘Yes, to be.’”
