Aid to Ukraine is not charity, but an investment in global security

published on 12/22/22 10:05 AM

Volodymyr Zelensky and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi

Photo: EPA/BGNES

"Ukraine and the United States are together in the fight against Russia," Volodymyr Zelensky told the US Congress on his first foreign visit since the beginning of the war. Earlier, he met with US President Joe Biden, who assured him that the American people are with the Ukrainian people every step of the way and will continue to be "as long as it takes". "What you’re doing, what you have achieved, it matters not just to Ukraine but to the entire world," the American president pointed out. He added that he had never seen NATO and the European Union more united than on Ukraine, and called on the world to support the country in 2023 as well.

In his speech to US lawmakers, Volodymyr Zelensky also said that the billions of dollars the US is providing to Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion "is not charity, but an investment in global security and democracy". He was greeted with thunderous applause, and three members of Congress raised a large Ukrainian flag. "Against all odds and doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine did not fall.Ukraine is alive and kicking!. We have defeated Russia in the battle for the minds of the world", stressed the Ukrainian president. He thanked members of Congress and the American people for their support and predicted that the coming year would be a turning point in the war.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the United States has provided almost $50 billion in aid to Ukraine. Congress is expected to approve another $44.9 billion in aid this week.

At a meeting of the top leaders of the Russian defense, Vladimir Putin promised to support the plan to increase the number of the armed forces by more than 30%, reported Reuters. "Moscow must learn a lesson and fix the problems it faced in Ukraine," he stressed. Putin also said that Russia would also improve the combat readiness of "our nuclear triad". For his part, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed that the country's armed forces be strengthened from 1.15 million servicemen to 1.5 million. According to him, 695 thousand people should be professional soldiers, not conscripts serving the mandatory military service.

Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and the Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic, Vitaly Khotsenko, were wounded in shelling by Ukrainian forces against the city of Donetsk, and one person was killed, TASS and Reuters reported. Currently, Rogozin leads a group of military advisers called "Tsar Wolves".

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Volodymyr Zelensky before the US Congress:

Aid to Ukraine is not charity, but an investment in global security

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