Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Whitehouse on Wednesday to address the US Congress, asking for help. Zelensky expressed his gratitude and respect towards the immeasurable support that the US has provided to Ukraine in its war against Russia. In his speech which he delivered in front of the US Congress, Zelensky said that Ukraine has still not fallen and is alive and kicking. Zelensky came to the US with a plea for more support as Russia is constantly increasing its offensives, putting more strain on the Ukrainian army. Zelensky said that the Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and outgunned, and are continuing to fight against the Russian army. Through his first foreign visit since the war started back in February, Zelensky asked the US to provide improved military and artillery support, to offer Ukraine a chance at winning.
Ukraine has been battling Russia since February, almost over 300 days. Since then, Ukraine has lost a significant chunk of its land to Russia but has also managed to win back important areas such as Kherson and Kharkiv. But the Russian forces have been active since day one even though the ground forces of Russia have struggled. Russia has done several air strikes in Ukraine, thus disturbing the power supply in the country and damaging its infrastructure. Recently Kyiv proposed the possibility of an increased ground offensive by Russia from January to February. During this announcement, Zelensky and Ukrainian army officials said that over 150,000 recruits will be completing their training by the end of this year, which suggests that Russia will be attacking Ukraine again through the ground. Previously, Russian ground forces faced difficulties while maintaining control and getting the necessary supplies in areas that were too deep into Ukraine. Because of this, the Russian ground forces were forced to retreat and give control of these areas back to Ukraine. But this time, Russia will be prepared for all such problems, which is why Zelensky is paying a visit to the US to ask for help.
Zelensky is following the footsteps of Winston Churchill, who visited the US in the same fashion during the second world war. Churchill’s visit to the US during the second world war is still considered one of the most monumental visits to Washington by any foreign leader. The US addressed Zelensky’s visit in the same way as they did Churchill’s visit. Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker for the US Congress said that another historic leader has come to address the US Congress during a war situation, where this time, democracy is on the line. The US has offered full support to Ukraine. President Biden told Ukrainian president Zelensky that he will never stand alone in the war against Russia. The US offered a package of $2 billion along with the promise of offering $45 billion in the future. When other countries which are supporting Ukraine are struggling with depleting energy reserves and inflation, the US said that it is feeling very good about providing support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s aggression. On the other hand, Biden made clear that Putin has no intention of stopping the war.
