Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US on Wednesday for agreeing to deliver the advanced Patriot air defence system to Kyiv, as part of $1.85 billion in military assistance announced in tandem with his visit to Washington.
The system will “significantly strengthen” Ukraine’s defences, and protect it from further “terrorist attacks” by the Russian military on its infrastructure, Zelensky said.
Speaking at a joint press conference with President Joe Biden, he thanked his US counterpart for the latest package of military support.
The American system will make Ukraine safer and protect its people and infrastructure from Russian attacks, said Zelensky, who arrived in Washington on Wednesday on his first official foreign trip since the start of Russia's invasion of his country over 300 days ago.
US support also serves global security
Zelensky said he had travelled to the U.S. to thank the Americans for their support, noting that every dollar Washington gives Ukraine also serves global security.
“We must survive this winter,” stressed the Ukrainian president, who wished the Americans “that they can see their children live and grow up, that they can see them go to college and have children of their own.”
“Peace is the most important thing,” he said.
At the same time, he demanded that Russia be held accountable for its war crimes and emphasised that there can be no compromise on his country’s “sovereignty, freedom and territorial integrity.”
Biden pledges US support for 'as long as it takes'
Asked what other help he would like from the US, Zelensky replied “even more Patriot systems.”
For his part, President Biden noted at the press conference that Ukraine’s fight for freedom was part of a broader conflict, and assured Kyiv of American support for “as long as it takes.”
“The American people know that if we stand by in the face of such blatant attacks on liberty and democracy, and the core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the world would surely face worse consequences,” Biden said.
"We're going to give Ukraine everything it needs to be able to defend itself, to be able to succeed," he stressed.
Vladimir Putin failed before in Ukraine and will fail again, he added.
Zelensky gets standing ovation from Congress
Later in the day, President Zelensky gave an address to members of the U.S. Congress, to whom he presented a flag from the frontline city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine.
Handing the flag to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, he said it was a sign of thanks on behalf of Ukraine's soldiers. Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris then held up the flag together.
"This flag is a symbol of our victory. In this war we stand firm, we fight and we will win because we are united, Ukraine, America and the entire free world,” said Zelensky, who was given a standing ovation by the legislators on his arrival in Congress.
In a speech lasting over 20 minutes, often interrupted by applause, the Ukrainian president asked the legislative body to continue to support his country.
That support is crucial, he said, not only to resist, but also to turn the tide and prevail on the battlefield and should be seen not as “charity” but as “an investment” in global security and democracy.
