Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday invoked historically potent attacks on the U.S. at Pearl Harbor and on Sept. 11, 2001, pleading with Congress for additional military aid as his nation fights to repel a Russian invasion.
“Ladies and gentlemen, friends, Americans, in your great history, you have pages that allow you to understand Ukrainians now,” Zelenskyy told U.S. lawmakers. “Remember Pearl Harbor, the terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you. Remember Sept. 11, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities independent territories into battlefield.”
“Our country experiences the same every day, right now, at this moment, every night for three weeks now.”
Zelenskyy spoke remotely via a video feed and told U.S. lawmakers that he was addressing them from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital city that has for weeks been the target of Russian military strikes. Members of the House and Senate gathered together to hear Zelenskyy, who personally requested the opportunity to address them, in the Capitol Visitor Center’s congressional auditorium.
