“The war is not over. Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, visiting the United States, made a strong plea to the US Congress on Wednesday for more arms deliveries to her country to fight against the Russian invasion, six months after the start of the conflict.
“We are grateful for the presence of the United States on our side in this war,” noted Olena Zelenska according to a live translation of her remarks. “I ask you for more weapons (…) to protect everyone’s homes and the right to wake up alive in those homes,” she said. “Help us (…) and together we will achieve a great victory,” she added during a speech to the American parliamentarians, who rose in unison to applaud her.
$7 billion worth of military equipment
Olena Zelenska accompanied her speech with a slide show, projecting photos of children who have since been killed or injured by Russia in front of elected officials. She notably mentioned Liza Dmitrieva, a 4-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was killed on Thursday during a Russian strike, a tragedy that widely shocked.
Washington has sent nearly $7 billion worth of military equipment to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24. In particular, the Pentagon recently delivered to kyiv Himars precision artillery systems with a range of 80 kilometers, allowing the Ukrainian army to hit Russian targets previously out of reach. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on Tuesday called for more of these Himars systems, saying they could “change the game” and allow a counter-offensive against Russian soldiers.
Also on Tuesday, First Lady Olena Zelenska met at the White House with her American counterpart, Jill Biden, a meeting to which the press was not invited. “I expect from this visit of the First Lady significant results for Ukraine in terms of cooperation with America,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the same day.