Zelensky evokes 9/11 and Pearl Harbor to ask the US Congress for help

by

Standing ovation by US congressmen on Wednesday (16), Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, evoked episodes from American history to urge the country to strengthen support for Kiev against Russia.

The Ukrainian president has once again called for the establishment of a no-fly zone over his country’s territory, a proposal hitherto denied by NATO, the western military alliance. For this, he made use of the famous speech given in 1963 by Martin Luther King.

“I have a need: to protect our country’s skies. And I need your help for that. It’s the same as when you say the phrase ‘I have a dream,'” Zelensky said during the speech broadcast in a Capitol auditorium. , seat of the US Legislature.

He also called for new sanctions against the Russian government and oligarchs, urging American companies to end any operations with the country, and reinforced the need for military assistance.

Other passages from US history were used in the Ukrainian speech. Zelensky asked those present to remember the Japanese attack on the US base at Pearl Harbor in 1941, when at least 2,400 died, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which left nearly 3,000 victims. “Your territory was also attacked, and hundreds of innocent people died. Remember that.”

He also saluted the people of his country. He said that Ukrainians are actually fighting for all of Europe and for world peace, not just Ukraine. “For eight years, we have been resisting Russian aggression,” he said, referring to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ensuing conflicts that spread in the ethnically Russian-majority Donbass region in the eastern part of the country.

He also made a direct appeal to President Joe Biden. Zelenski thanked the Democrat for his support, but stressed that American leadership in the world has its price. “Being the leader of the world also means having to be the leader of peace,” he declared, in the closing words of his 18-minute speech.

The Ukrainian, an elected outsider in 2019 and now at the head of Europe’s biggest security crisis since World War II, said he saw “no meaning in life” if he couldn’t prevent the deaths of more children, the one that would be the biggest. concern of your government.

Authorities in the country said on Wednesday that more than 100 children had died as a result of the war, which began on February 24. The United Nations, which monitors the matter, confirms 64 child deaths, although it acknowledges that the number is likely to be higher.

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional $800 million in aid to the Eastern European country, to be spent primarily on security.

So far, the US has released around US$350 million (R$1.7 billion) in weapons at the beginning of the conflict, in addition to remittances made last year. The Legislature also approved a US$13.6 billion (R$70 billion) package for humanitarian and economic assistance.

USAID, the US agency for international development, also provided US$ 100 million (R$ 511 million) in humanitarian aid and essential supplies. More than 3 million people have emigrated from Ukraine since the beginning of the war, most of them to Poland.

Zelensky’s speech to the US Congress comes amid negotiations with Russia, which on Wednesday had the most optimistic statements since the beginning of the conflict. Russian diplomacy said parts of the agreement were about to be closed and signaled that Russia’s demand for Ukraine’s neutrality, in order to separate the country from NATO and the European Union (EU), could be stitched together.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you