Zelenskyy: Ukraine is alive and kicking Ukrainian leader visits US / PHOTO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a historic speech from the United States Capitol on December 21 night, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began – and asking for more.

“I hope my words of respect and gratitude resonate in each American heart,” Zelensky said during the joint meeting of Congress, later adding, “Against all odds, and doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn’t fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking," CNN informs.

But alongside Zelensky’s gratitude was a plea, emphasizing that his armed forces are outnumbered and outgunned by the Russian military even as they fight on. At one point, Zelensky drew laughs from the chamber when he said, “We have artillery, yes. Thank you. We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really.”

Zelensky’s visit to Washington marks his first trip outside his homeland since it was invaded 300 days ago, arriving Wednesday afternoon to set a course for the future of the war alongside a key Western ally.

On “the frontline of tyranny,” Zelensky argued during his speech to Congress, American support “is crucial not just to stand in such (a) fight but to get to the turning point to win on the battlefield.”

“The world is too interconnected and too interdependent to allow someone to stay aside and at the same time to feel safe when such a battle continues,” he added. “Our two nations are allies in this battle and next year will be a turning point, I know it – the point where Ukrainian courage and American resolve must guarantee the future of our common freedom, the freedom of people who stand for their values.”

“Your money is not charity,” he asserted to Congress. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.” Zelensky also called on lawmakers to strengthen sanctions against Russia.

Still, despite that disparity in resources, Zelensky said, “Ukraine holds its line and will never surrender.”

In his speech, Zelensky harkened back to American history, referencing the Battle of the Bulge, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Battle of Saratoga. Just like “brave American soldiers who held their lines” and fought against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany in 1944, Ukrainian soldiers “are doing the same to Putin’s forces this Christmas,” Zelensky said.

He also briefly discussed a 10-point peace formula and summit that he told US President Joe Biden about during an earlier meeting at the White House. Zelensky claimed Biden supported the peace initiatives.

Zelensky also recalled his recent visit to the frontlines – Bakhmut in Donbas – which has been under siege since May. There, he said, “every inch of that land is soaked in blood, roaring guns sound every hour.” In the climactic moment of the speech, he unveiled a Ukrainian flag signed by soldiers fighting in Bakhmut that he gave as a gift to Congress.

“The occupiers have a significant advantage in artillery. They have an advantage in ammunition. They have much more missiles and planes than we ever have. It’s true, but our defence forces stand,” he added.

Russia, Zelensky argued in strong terms, has “found an ally” in Iran.

“Iran’s deadly drones sent to Russia in hundreds became a threat to our critical infrastructure. That is how one terrorist has found the other,” he said. “It is just a matter of time when they will strike against your other allies if we do not stop them now."

Zelenskyy's White House visit

Earlier on December 21, the Ukrainian leader visited the White House, where he met with Biden and held a joint news conference, during which the duo displayed a united front on their approach to the war.

“I think … we share the exact same vision, and that a free, independent, prosperous and secure Ukraine is the vision – we both want this war to end,” Biden told reporters in the White House East Room.

At the start of the news conference, Biden relayed that he felt it was “particularly meaningful” to speak to Zelensky in person and “look each other in the eye.” The Ukrainian president’s leadership, Biden said, has inspired the world.

“We understand in our bones that Ukraine’s fight is part of something much bigger,” Biden continued.

Biden said Zelensky has shown his “strong stand against aggression in the face of the imperial appetites of autocrats,” and said the US was standing alongside Ukraine in maintaining “core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Both Biden and Zelensky addressed the Russians during the news conference, with the Ukrainian president repeatedly calling Russian forces “terrorists” and Biden underscoring the importance of being “clear” about Russia’s actions.

“It is purposely attacking Ukraine's critical infrastructure, destroying the system to provide heat and light (to) Ukrainian people during the coldest, darkest part of the year. Russia is using winter as a weapon, freezing people, starving people, cutting them off from one another,” Biden said. The war, Biden later argued, “could end today if Putin had any dignity at all and did the right thing and just … pulled out. But that’s not gonna happen.”

But the two leaders, it seems, still have different perspectives on their approach to pursuing peace with Russia.

Early in the news conference, Biden said Zelensky was open to pursuing a “just peace.” Later, when asked by a reporter to share his idea of a fair way to end the war, the Ukrainian leader responded, “For me, as a president, just peace is no compromises as to the sovereignty, freedom and territorial integrity of my country, the payback for all the damages inflicted by Russian aggression.”

“There can’t be any just peace in the war that was imposed on us by these … Inhumans, I would say,” he added.