In a video address to Congress, he reminded senators and delegates of historic days when innocent Americans were attacked “from the air.” “Our country,” said Zelensky, “experiences that every day.”
To a standing ovation, Zelensky was welcomed on-screen in a Washington Capitol screen room. He showed shocking images of the war. “You can make this stop,” he said, again asking for a no-fly zone. It most likely won’t come.
‘Give Ukraine those MiGs’
The White House has made it clear in recent weeks that it does not want a no-fly zone over Ukraine and that it does not want to deliver planes to Poland. That country would in turn give eighteen MiG fighters to the Ukrainian Air Force. “We must comply with his request immediately,” Republican Senator Mitt Romney tweeted on Wednesday after the call. “Give Ukraine those MiGs.”
But the White House doesn’t want the conflict to get any bigger. President Joe Biden still believes a no-fly zone could escalate the situation. After Zelensky’s speech, Biden made other suggestions.
He promised to supply Ukraine with weapons worth EUR 728 million. “This is unprecedented support for Ukraine,” Biden said. Included in the package are 800 anti-aircraft systems and 100 drones. This brings the total US military aid to Ukraine since last year to 1.8 billion euros.
“On the one hand, the Americans want to help the Ukrainians end the war,” said Christopher Tuttle, of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank. But on the other hand, they don’t want to make the conflict even bigger than it is. “They probably think that extra military support to Ukraine does not have to lead to further escalation of the conflict, but a no-fly zone does.”
Bringing War Closer
Zelenski spoke for eighteen minutes on Wednesday. It was clear that he wanted to bring the war in his country closer to the Americans. With bated breath, the people’s representatives listened to his wish list. They are sensitive to Zelensky’s cries for help. “The fate of our country is now being decided,” he said.
Many American politicians share Zelensky’s sense of urgency – their patience with Putin is also running out. For weeks they have wanted the White House to provide more support to Ukraine than it does now. Republicans and Democrats are remarkably united in this.
It is clear who the bad guy is in this conflict, Tuttle says. “The media reports extensively on everything that is happening in Ukraine. You can follow the deaths on American TV.’ Moreover, not so long ago, they were themselves the target of Russian cyber-attacks to influence the American elections. Congressmen are also easy to talk to, Tuttle says: they can argue for more military support because they won’t have to answer for the consequences later if things go wrong. The White House has to.
Zelensky’s speech was in Ukrainian — until he was almost finished. Then he addressed President Biden directly in English: “To be the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.” That statement stirred up emotions among members of Congress.