UPDATE - 'Ukraine is alive and kicking,' Zelenskyy tells US Congress

ADDS MORE REMARKS, BACKGROUND

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Ukraine’s president addressed the US Congress on Wednesday, thanking it for providing his country with financial aid while noting that its money is “not charity” but "an investment.”

“Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the joint session.

“Thank you for both financial packages you have already provided us with and the ones you may be willing to decide on,” he said.

Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden held a joint press conference with Zelenskyy at the White House, during which he announced a $1.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine, including a Patriot missile defense system.

“Ukraine didn’t fall,” Zelenskyy stressed during his address to Congress. “Ukraine is alive and kicking.”

He said their battle is not only for “territory,” “freedom” and “security” for Ukrainians but for “any other nation.”

“The world is too interconnected and interdependent to allow someone to stay aside and at the same time to feel safe when such a battle continues,” he said.

Recalling his unexpected visit to the city of Bakhmut in the embattled eastern Donetsk region Tuesday, he said the Russian military and mercenaries have been attacking the city since May.

“They have been attacking it day and night, but Bakhmut stands,” he said.

Zelenskyy said that Russia has a “significant advantage” in artillery and ammunition, “but our defense forces stand.”

Underlining once again that his country will not surrender, he told US lawmakers that their support is “crucial not just to stand in such fight but to get to the turning point to win on the battlefield.”

“We have artillery. Yes. Thank you. We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really,” he said.

More cannons and shells are needed to make the Russian army completely pull out, Zelenskyy added.

“Ukraine never asked American soldiers to fight on our land instead of us. I assure you that Ukrainian soldiers can perfectly operate American tanks and planes themselves,” he said.

He also mentioned Iranian drones sent to Russia, which “became a threat to our critical infrastructure.”

Zelenskyy departed his country on Wednesday for the first time since the war with Russia began 10 months ago to consult with President Joe Biden and US lawmakers in Washington.

Prior to his address to the US Congress, he met Biden at the White House, where he held a joint press conference.

Following his speech in Congress, Zelenskyy presented US lawmakers with a Ukrainian flag.