Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with an American flag given to him by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.Credit:AP
You got the feeling he understood the gravity of this moment,just as we did,too.
As the raucous applause continued,the 44-year-old appeared overwhelmed with gratitude,at one point saying:“It’s too much.”
In a speech lasting about 25 minutes,Zelensky thanked the US for its support and warned that the stakes of the conflict were much higher than the fate of his nation. Democracy and global security were also being tested.
“It is in your power,really,to help us bring justice to everyone who started this unprovoked and criminal war,” he said.
President Joe Biden meets with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.Credit:AP
I remember watching Zelensky’s last address to Congress in March,done via video link when the war was still in its infancy. Its most dramatic moment was when he played a graphic video with images of what Ukraine was like before Russia’s invasion,which quickly shifted to the heartbreaking scenes of violence and destruction the world has witnessed ever since.
Footage of blood-soaked babies being rushed to hospital. The indiscriminate shelling of once-peaceful neighbourhoods. The carnage of dead bodies on the side of the road.
This speech was devoid of the graphic images,but it felt equally significant,and just as heavy on symbolism and substance.
In terms of symbolism,it’s been 300 days since Putin tried and failed to seize Ukraine in a violent incursion that would have likely been over had it not been for the resistance of Zelensky and his people.
Ukraine’s Ground Forces Commander,Oleksandr Syrsky,with President Volodymyr Zelensky.Credit:Alamy
Now,here he was:touching down in Washington on an American plane;standing shoulder to shoulder with President Joe Biden at the White House;an international hero in the US Congress.
As for substance,the visit comes at a pivotal time for Ukraine,whose counter-offensives are slowing down,and as some Americans are starting to question the soaring cost of continuing to defend the country.
As far-right Republican Paul Gosar tweeted during Zelensky’s speech:“Over 5 million illegal aliens walked across our border in the last two years. We are under a sustained invasion. Not one red cent should go to Ukraine while our border is open.”
To that end,Zelensky had a mission beyond the mere optics:to convince the newly divided Congress – where Republicans will hold the House majority next year,while Democrats control the Senate – to continue providing billions of dollars in military aid for a war that’s showing little sign of abating.
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Time will tell if he achieved his goal. For now,at least,the American political class is energised by his hero appearance and Biden isn’t wavering.
“The American people have been with you every step of the way,and we will stay with you,” the president told Zelensky. “We will stay with you for as long as it takes.”
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