Zelensky echoes Churchill as he tells Congress: We will never surrender

President Zelensky drew comparisons to Winston Churchill last night when he gave a powerful speech to Congress in Washington, saying that American support was crucial to the defence of his country.

In an appeal to Republican sceptics before Congress votes on the latest aid package to Ukraine, the president declared: “Your money is not charity.”

He added: “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way . . . You can speed up our victory, I know it.”

Zelensky’s speech was frequently interrupted by standing ovations on his first trip outside Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, 300 days ago.

In a nod to his audience, the president compared the bitter winter ahead for Ukrainian troops to the Battle of the Bulge, when Allied forces resisted the last big German offensive of the Second World War.

 “Just like the brave American soldiers which held their lines and fought back [against] Hitler’s forces during the Christmas of 1944, brave Ukrainian soldiers are doing the same . . . this Christmas,” Zelensky said.

The stirring speech echoed Franklin D Roosevelt and Churchill, who delivered a wartime address to Congress in 1941. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, compared Zelensky to the British leader.

 “This battle will define in what world our children and grandchildren will live . . . Next year will be a turning point,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine holds its lines and will never surrender.”

The president reminded Congress that millions of people in Ukraine would celebrate Christmas in bomb shelters and by candlelight this year but vowed: “Even if there is no electricity the light of our faith in ourselves will not be put out.

“Against all odds and doom and gloom . . . Ukraine is alive and kicking,” Zelensky said.

Earlier President Biden welcomed Zelensky to the Oval Office and hailed him as “the man of the year”. Zelensky, wearing khaki fatigues, was greeted by Biden and his wife, Jill, on a red carpet outside the White House.

He began his whistlestop visit to Washington with a presidential fireside chat, before being driven to the US Capitol for his speech. He was due to leave the city last night.

The Kremlin said today that Washington and Kyiv were turning a deaf ear to Russian concerns. In a call with reporters, President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there had been no signs of readiness for peace talks during Zelensky’s visit, and that this was evidence that the United States was fighting a proxy war with Russia “to the last Ukrainian”.

 “We can say with regret that so far neither President Biden nor President Zelensky have said even a few words that could be perceived as potential readiness to listen to Russia’s concerns,” Peskov said.

The Russian Defence Ministry also said yesterday that Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, had visited army units fighting in Ukraine, although it did not specify when or where he did so.

The summit, announced on Tuesday evening and involving extraordinary security, was designed to show Putin that the US and Ukraine are united against the Russian invasion.

As the two men began their talks, Biden said: “Three hundred days, it’s hard to believe . . . a brutal assault on Ukraine’s right to exist as a nation, the attack on innocent Ukrainian people. The Ukrainian people continue to inspire the world.”

At a joint press conference, Biden told Zelensky: “It’s important for the American people and the world to hear directly from you, Mr President. We understand in our bones that Ukraine’s fight is part of something much bigger.” He then promised Zelensky: “You will never stand alone.”

The trip was fraught with security challenges, but for Zelensky the prospect of about $47 billion in new military support and the opportunity to address American leaders was worth the long and risky journey. He flew from Poland, rather than his own country, which would have carried a much greater risk of being shot down by Russian forces.

The visit coincided with a significant increase in US military support for Ukraine. The White House announced that Biden had agreed to supply Kyiv with a Patriot missile defence system. Zelensky and his commanders have argued for months that the $2 billion system is vital for shooting down long-range missiles fired by Russia at key infrastructure. An additional $45 billion of military supplies is expected to be approved by Congress shortly.

Zelensky told Biden: “[You have] all my appreciation, from my heart, from the hearts of Ukrainians, all Ukrainians, from our strong nation, all the appreciation to you for your big support.” He added: “We need to survive this winter, we need to protect our people.”

As they took their seats in the Oval Office, Biden said: “It’s good to have you back. I’m delighted you could make the trip.”

He added that he was aware that Putin was waging a “brutal assault on Ukraine’s right to exist as a nation . . . escalating his assaults on civilians” and trying to “use winter as a weapon” — but reassured him: “We will support Ukraine pursuing a just peace.”

Thanking Biden, the US Congress and the “ordinary people” of the US for their support, Zelensky handed Biden a medal that had been awarded to the captain of a Himars missile battery on the front line in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut , scene of the bloodiest fighting in recent days. Zelensky, who visited Bakhmut on Tuesday, said the battery commander had “asked me to pass his award to President Biden”.

 “He is very brave and said to give it to a very brave president,” Zelensky added. “God love you . . . what a great honour,” Biden replied.

Later, during the press conference, Biden reiterated America’s support for Ukraine’s war effort. “We will stay with you as long as it takes,” he said. “What you’re doing, what you’ve achieved, matters to the whole world.”

Expressing his admiration for Zelensky, he added: “I judge every leader by what they say to me . . . and looking me in the eye. This guy, to his very soul, is who he says he is. It’s clear who he is. He’s willing to give his life for his country. It’s important for him to know we are going to do everything in our power to see that he succeeds.”

Zelensky, speaking partly in English and partly in Ukrainian, said: “We really fight for our common victory against this tyranny. I’m sure we will win together.”

Zelensky, 44, and Biden, 80, have been in regular contact since the start of the invasion, although at times the relationship has been strained. But the US decision to accede to requests for a Patriot missile defence system, which required the agreement of the White House, suggests any tensions have been soothed.

The Patriot system is the big prize for Zelensky in Washington, apart from the pledges of continued support. It can intercept and destroy Russian ballistic and low-flying cruise missiles, adding a crucial component to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from air attacks.

It is more effective than other air-defence weapons already provided by the US and other Nato nations but it may take months for the Ukrainians to learn to operate them. Training will take place at a US base in Germany.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said before the visit that it would demonstrate “the strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine [and] underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance”.

The meeting comes days before the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives; some in the party have expressed doubts over the scale of support for the Ukrainian war effort.

Pelosi said in her invitation to Zelensky to address Congress that “the fight for Ukraine is the fight for democracy itself” and that members of Congress “look forward to hearing your inspiring message of unity, resilience and determination”. Ukrainians, she said, “are fighting for democracy for all of us”.

Zelensky was expected to leave the US last night soon after his address, with the trip requiring further significant security measures. He travelled to Poland by train and flew in a US air force Boeing C-40B to Joint Base Andrews, half an hour from the White House. The plane was escorted over the North Sea by a US F15-E Strike Eagle fighter, based in Mildenhall, Suffolk.

While Zelensky was en route to Washington, Putin announced that Russia was preparing to deploy a new intercontinental ballistic missile. He said in Moscow that no expense would be spared to support the Russian military in Ukraine. “We have no funding restrictions,” he said. “The country and the government are providing everything the army asks for.”

He said the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile would “soon” be ready for deployment, a weapon he has previously boasted can overcome any western defences. The missile, dubbed “Satan II” by Nato, has been in development since the 2000s, according to the Russian news agency Tass.

Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, told Putin the army would be strengthened by an additional 350,000 troops. He said Russia would form new units in the country’s west in view of plans by Finland and Sweden to join Nato.

Reacting to Zelensky’s visit, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned that continuing weapons supplies from the US “does not bode well for Ukraine”.

Putin appears keen to prepare Russians for a long war. In his speech yesterday he acknowledged Russia’s military setbacks and said that he welcomed constructive criticism. “It is clear that the reaction of people who see problems . . . can be emotional, but we need to hear those who do not hush up the existing problems, but strive to contribute to their solution,” he said.