By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- On Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky via video link, addressed a packed U.S. Congress with an impassioned plea for emergency help for his country to prevent his capital from falling to Russia after 21 days of constant bombardment and drone attacks on numerous cities especially civilian targets as Zelensky explained to Congress. The Ukrainian president said that Americans are “not just helping Ukrainians but to keep the world alive.” He added: “I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths.”
Zelensky reminded Congress, President Biden and Americans of the pain and shock of 9/11 and further back in their history, of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He said that the war Russia wages on Ukraine is: “The worst war since World War II.” Zelensky further stated: “I greet you on behalf of freedom-loving Ukrainian people and for eight years we have been resisting Russian aggression.” He made an impassioned plea to America to “stop this full-scale Russian invasion right now” and added that “the destiny of our country is being decided whether Ukrainians will be able to be free.”
The Ukrainian president called on President Biden and Congress to step up new sanctions on a weekly basis on “all politicians in the Russian Federation.” He urged companies who support Russia and do business with Russia to be boycotted to the fullest extent possible. He said: “Our country experiences the same every day, every night for three weeks.” Zelensky added: “Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people.” He said Russia “used bombs and drones to kill us with precision” and asked Congress and Biden: “Is this a lot to ask for a no-fly zone?” He then said that “if this is not possible, we offer an alternative then we need strong aircraft.” Zelensky commented further: “I have a need. I need to protect our sky. I need your help.”
Zelensky referenced Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech and told President Biden: “We are grateful for all that you have done. I am grateful to President Biden for his sincere commitment to Ukraine and all over the world.” He added that it is the “darkest time for our country, for the whole of Europe.” Then he said: “I call on you to do more,” adding that “all American companies must leave the Russian market because it is flooded with our blood.” The Ukrainian president proposed a united 24-nation association of countries to provide everything necessary to save people in war and natural disasters. Zelensky concluded: “The wars of the past have prompted our predecessors to create institutions that should protect us from war but they don’t work.” He said if such an association existed it could ideally provide within 24 hours all the necessary support and said such an organization could get essential help to the masses much faster. He pleaded: “Stop the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.” And he added a caveat for U.S. President Biden: “I wish you to be the leader of the world. To be the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace”
