WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, and he is addressing a joint meeting of Congress.
Earlier in the day the world leader spoke with President Joe Biden. It is Zelenskyy’s first trip outside Ukraine since Russia attacked in February.
Watch his address in the player above.
“For me as a president, ‘just peace’ is no compromises,” Zelenskyy said to a packed room of reporters. He said the war would only end when Russia ends its occupation and provides retribution “for all the damages inflicted by Russian aggression.”
Ahead of his visit to Washington, Zelenskyy told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo that it is a “big mistake” to think that the war is over. “Without Americans — just ordinary people — without their understanding of what’s going on in Ukraine, we will not win,” said Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy will address Congress at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be livestreamed in this article.
The U.S. announced its latest major aid package to the war-torn country — $1.8 billion in military aid that will, for the first time, include a Patriot missile battery and precision-guided bombs for its fighter jets. The Patriot is a surface-to-air guided missile system that was first deployed in the 1980s and can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles.
The Kremlin warned that increasing the supply of U.S. arms to Ukraine would aggravate the war ignited by Russia’s invasion, and Russia’s defense minister on Wednesday called for expanding Moscow’s military by at least 500,000 people.
The Associated Press and NewsNation writer Taylor Delandro contributed to this report.
