Zelenskiy Wins Applause, Aid in Half-Day Dash Through Washington
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had just half a day in Washington, his first trip abroad since Russia invaded his country 300 days ago, and every moment had to count.
(Bloomberg) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had just half a day in Washington, his first trip abroad since Russia invaded his country 300 days ago, and every moment had to count.
By the time news broke that he would visit the White House and address Congress before Christmas, the battle-worn leader was already on a 8,400-kilometer (5,200-mile) journey with a message that could only be delivered in person: Thank you, but please do more.
Wearing his standard military-green sweatshirt, the former television comedian deployed his wit and frankness with President Joe Biden and US lawmakers in a bid to keep their attention on a war headed into a merciless winter and unsure 2023.
Reflecting on a season many Ukrainians will spend with intermittent power, heat and water, Zelenskiy likened his people’s struggle to historic conflicts at Saratoga during the American Revolution and the 1944 Battle of the Bulge in Europe. Both were turning points in their respective conflicts and Zelenskiy said 2023 could be the same for Ukraine, if America and its allies stand fast.
He delivered that message with the soberness of a leader who had visited front-line troops in the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut just 24 hours earlier.
Ukrainians will celebrate the holidays and new year “even if there is no electricity,” he vowed in a 23-minute speech regularly interrupted by standing ovations. “The light of our faith in ourselves will not be put out.”
He ended with “Merry Christmas and happy victorious New Year,” followed by “Slava Ukraini,” or “Glory to Ukraine,” the slogan that has become a rallying cry for his people and was called out during rounds of applause in the Capitol.
It was a tour-de-force by the 44-year-old president, who has visibly aged from his 2021 visit to Washington, months before the specter of a Russian attack. Upon Zelenskiy’s arrival to the South Lawn of the White House, Biden welcomed him with an arm around the shoulder and a vow to stick with Ukraine as long as it takes. He called the Ukrainian leader a friend.
“This guy, to his very soul, is who he says he is,” Biden said. “He’s willing to give his life for his country.”
In terms of concrete achievements, the US president promised nearly $2 billion more in military aid and the long-sought delivery of a Patriot missile battery, which Ukraine needs to help slow the relentless barrage of Russian missile strikes.
But Biden’s support was never in doubt. Just as important in the day’s events was Zelenskiy’s speech to Congress and his interactions with Republican lawmakers who will have more sway over Washington’s spending starting next month.
Under the Capitol rotunda, Zelenskiy spoke with the top senators from both sides of the aisle, Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi looked on.
With many legislators out of town, Zelenskiy spoke to a room filled with a mix of lawmakers, staffers and diplomats. The public galleries up high were largely empty save for a section reserved for Ukrainians and the press.
Yet in what Ukrainian officials will see as a sign of optimism for the future, dozens of Republicans were still present to applaud, including McConnell and the likely future speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. The California Republican is poised to lead a very narrow majority in the House, where a small but vocal group of lawmakers oppose funding Ukraine.
Unbowed by the pomp of his surroundings, Zelenskiy gave his unvarnished assessment about the billions the US has so far provided. He said he was grateful, but then asked, “Is it enough? Not really.” The lawmakers laughed.
Zelenskiy framed the support from the US and NATO not as charity but as an “investment” in global security.
In an interview on Bloomberg Television, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta compared Zelenskiy’s speech with then-UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s December 1941 address to Congress seeking support in the battle against Nazism. Indeed, the wartime comparison to Churchill is one Zelenskiy invited when he addressed Congress virtually weeks after the Feb. 24 invasion.
That was nearly 10 months ago. Many analysts at the time wouldn’t have bet on Ukraine’s tenacity against Russia — not only its ability to stave off a quick victory by Moscow, but its prowess in winning back territory Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops captured in the early weeks of the conflict.
The symbolism of Zelenskiy’s visit may have been the most powerful aspect of the entire trip. Ever since Russia’s invasion, Zelenskiy has surprised many by his ability to rally his forces and people, at great personal peril.
He showed that deft political touch at the end of his speech on Wednesday. Turning to Vice President Kamala Harris and Pelosi, who sat behind him throughout, Zelenskiy unfurled a blue and yellow Ukrainian flag signed by the soldiers he visited a day earlier in Bakhmut.
“This flag is a symbol of our victory in this war,” he said. “We stand, we fight and we will win because we are united — Ukraine, America and the entire free world.”
--With assistance from .
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.