“Your money is not charity. It is an investment in international security and democracy,” insisted Ukrainian president on Wednesday during a speech before representatives and senators, who must Pronounce on a new slicit of help.
by Piotr smolar (Washington, correspondent)
Before the words, there are the images. Captivating, almost improbable. At the 300
On a flash visit to Washington, the Ukrainian president appears in front of the press in usual clothes with a khaki tone, with his short neglected beard, his humanity and this gravity which has become his burden. A gravity imposed by the dead who escort him, the Russian destruction of which he is the clerk and by certainty, shared by the two leaders, which the war is doomed to last. “We have to survive this winter,” said Mr. Zelensky. “Russia uses winter as a weapon, to freeze people, starve them, cut them from each other,” added Joe Biden.
Volodymyr Zelensky made this first trip abroad since the start of the war at the cost of a long trip, rather than going to Warsaw, Paris or London. But Washington was the most obvious destination in view of the enormous political, military and financial support granted by the United States, which the Ukrainian leader came to greet. On his side, at the White House, Joe Biden confirmed a new military aid envelope of $ 1.8 billion (1.7 billion euros), which notably includes a battery of Patriot missiles, long -awaited by kyiv.
This battery “is a very important step to create a secure airspace for Ukraine, reacted Volodymyr Zelensky. It is the only way for us to prevent the terrorist country and its terrorist attacks from targeting our sector energy, our inhabitants and our infrastructure “. It will be necessary to train the teams of Ukrainian soldiers.
The total amount of the security assistance provided to kyiv by Washington in 2022 thus amounts to $ 21.9 billion, pending the possible parliamentary adoption, by the end of the week, A segment of aid of nearly $ 45 billion, requiring the support of ten republican senators alongside the Democrats. “Whatever the changes in the congress [with the new republican majority from the midterms], I believe that there will be bipartisan and bicameral support,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, who has faith in the solidity of American engagement.
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