[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 16, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H3751-H3752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PROCEEDINGS OF ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY OF UKRAINE

  The following proceedings were held in the Capitol Visitor Center 
before the House convened for morning-hour debate:


          Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine

  The SPEAKER. Good morning. Good morning, Mr. President. Good morning, 
Madam Ambassador, who is with us this morning, Madam Ambassador 
Markarova.
  Mr. President, it is my honor to present to you the Congress of the 
United States, which has great respect and admiration and appreciation 
for your courageous leadership.
  Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of 
presenting to you the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
  My colleagues, Slava Ukraini. Glory to Heroes.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  President ZELENSKYY (Speaking in Ukrainian). Thank you very much. 
Madam Speaker, Members of the Congress, ladies and gentlemen, 
Americans, friends, I am proud to greet you from Ukraine, from our 
capital city of Kyiv, a city that is under missile and airstrikes from 
Russian troops every day, but it doesn't give up. And we have not even 
thought about it for a second, just like many other cities and 
communities in our beautiful country which found themselves in the 
worst war since World War II.
  I have the honor to greet you on behalf of the Ukrainian people, 
brave and freedom-loving people who, for 8 years, have been resisting 
the Russian aggression; those who give their best sons and daughters to 
stop this full-scale Russian invasion.
  Right now, the destiny of our country is being decided, the destiny 
of our people, whether Ukrainians will be free, whether they will be 
able to preserve their democracy.
  Russia has attacked not just us, not just our land, not just our 
cities. It went on a brutal offensive against our values, basic human 
values.
  It threw tanks and planes against our freedom, against our right to 
live freely in our own country, choosing our own future; against our 
desire for happiness; against our national dreams, just like the same 
dreams you have, you, Americans, just like anyone else in the United 
States.
  I remember your national memorial at Mount Rushmore, the faces of 
your prominent Presidents, those who laid the foundation of the United 
States of America as it is today: democracy; independence; freedom; and 
care for everyone, for every person, for everyone who works diligently, 
who lives honestly, who respects the law. We in Ukraine want the same 
for our people. All that is a normal part of your own life.
  Ladies and gentlemen, friends, Americans: In your great history, you 
have pages that would allow you to understand Ukrainians. Understand us 
now, when we need you right now.
  Remember Pearl Harbor, the terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when 
your sky was black from the planes attacking you. Just remember it.
  Remember September 11, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn 
your cities and independent territories into battlefields, when 
innocent people were attacked from the air, yes. Just like nobody else 
expected it, you could not stop it.
  Our country experiences the same every day. Right now, at this 
moment, every night for 3 weeks now, in various Ukrainian cities: 
Odessa, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsya, Mariupol, and 
Dnipro. Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for 
thousands of people.
  Russian troops have already fired nearly 1,000 missiles at Ukraine, 
countless bombs. They use drones to kill us with precision. This is a 
terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years, and we are asking for a 
reply, for an answer to this terror from the whole world.
  Is this a lot to ask for, to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to 
save people? Is this too much to ask, a humanitarian no-fly zone, 
something that Russia would not be able to terrorize our free cities?
  If this is too much to ask, we offer an alternative. You know what 
kind of defense systems we need, S-300 and other similar systems. You 
know how much depends on the battlefield, on the ability to use 
aircraft, powerful, strong aviation to protect our people, our freedom, 
our land, aircraft that can help Ukraine help Europe. And you know that 
they exist, and you have them, but they are on Earth, not in the 
Ukrainian sky. They do not defend our people.

[[Page H3752]]

  ``I have a dream.'' These words are known to each of you. Today, I 
can say, I have a need. I need to protect our sky. I need your 
decision, your help, which means exactly the same, the same you feel 
when you hear the words, ``I have a dream.''
  Ladies and gentlemen, friends, Ukraine is grateful to the United 
States for its overwhelming support for everything that your government 
and your people have done for us: for weapons and ammunition; for 
training; for finances; for leadership in the free world, which helps 
us to pressure the aggressor economically.
  I am grateful to President Biden for his personal involvement, for 
his sincere commitment to the defense of Ukraine and democracy all over 
the world. I am grateful to you for the resolution which recognizes all 
those who commit crimes against Ukraine, against the Ukrainian people, 
as war criminals.
  However, now, it is true, in the darkest time for our country, for 
the whole Europe, I call on you to do more. New packages of sanctions 
are needed constantly, every week until the Russian military machine 
stops.
  Restrictions are needed for everyone on whom this unjust regime is 
based. We propose that the United States sanction all politicians in 
the Russian Federation who remain in their offices and do not cut ties 
with those who are responsible for the aggression against Ukraine, from 
State Duma members to the last official who has the lack of morals to 
break the state terror.
  All American companies must leave Russia from their market. Leave 
their market immediately because it is flooded with our blood.

  Ladies and gentlemen, Members of Congress, please take the lead. If 
you have companies in your districts who finance the Russian military 
machine leaving business in Russia, you should put pressure. I am 
asking to make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny 
that they use to destroy people in Ukraine, the destruction of our 
country, the destruction of Europe.
  All American ports should be closed for Russian goods. Peace is more 
important than income, and we have to defend this principle in the 
whole world.
  We already became part of the antiwar coalition, the big antiwar 
coalition that unites many countries, dozens of countries, those who 
reacted in principle to President Putin's decision to invade our 
country. But we need to move on and do more.
  We need to create new tools to respond quickly and stop the war, the 
full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24. And 
it would be fair if it ended in a day, in 24 hours, that evil would be 
punished immediately.
  Today, the world does not have such tools. The wars of the past have 
prompted our predecessors to create institutions that should protect us 
from war, but they, unfortunately, don't work. We see it; you see it. 
So, we need new ones, new institutions, new alliances, and we offer 
them.
  We propose to create an association. U24, United for Peace, a union 
of responsible countries that have the strength and consciousness to 
stop conflicts immediately, to provide all the necessary assistance in 
24 hours: if necessary, even weapons; if necessary, sanctions, 
humanitarian support, political support, finances, everything you need 
to keep the peace and quickly save the world to save lives.
  In addition, such an association, such a union, could provide 
assistance to those who are experiencing natural disasters, man-made 
disasters, who fall victim to humanitarian crises or epidemics. 
Remember how difficult it was for the world to do the simplest thing 
just to give vaccines, vaccines against COVID, to save lives, to 
prevent new strains. The world spent months, years, doing things like 
that much faster to make sure there are no human losses, no victims.
  Ladies and gentlemen, Americans, if such an alliance would exist 
today--that is, U24--we would be able to save thousands of lives in our 
country, in many countries of the world, those who need peace, those 
who suffer inhumane destruction.
  I ask you to watch one video, a video of what the Russian troops did 
in our country, in our land. We have to stop it. We must prevent it, 
preemptively destroy every single aggressor who seeks to subjugate 
other nations. Please watch the video.
  (Video Presentation.)
  President ZELENSKYY. And in the end, to sum it up, today it is not 
enough to be the leader of the nation. Today it takes to be the leader 
of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of 
peace. Peace in your country doesn't depend anymore only on you and 
your people. It depends on those next to you and those who are strong.
  Strong doesn't mean big. Strong is brave and ready to fight for the 
lives of his citizens and citizens of the world; for human rights, for 
freedom, for the right to live decently and to die when your time comes 
and not when it is wanted by someone else, by your neighbor.
  Today, the Ukrainian people are defending not only Ukraine. We are 
fighting for the values of Europe and the world, sacrificing our lives 
in the name of the future.
  That is why, today, the American people are helping not just Ukraine 
but Europe and the world to keep the planet alive, to keep justice in 
history.
  Now, I am almost 45 years old. Today, my age stopped when the hearts 
of more than 100 children stopped beating.
  I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths, and this is my 
main mission as the leader of my people, the great Ukrainians. And as 
the leader of my nation, I am addressing President Biden: You are the 
leader of the Nation, of your great Nation. I wish you to be the leader 
of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of 
peace. Thank you.
  Slava Ukraini. Glory to Ukraine.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)

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