'Your money is not charity': Zelensky ends whirlwind D.C. visit with ovation-filled address to Congress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ended a surprise 10-hour visit to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday with a 25-minute speech, in English, before a joint session of Congress. Zelensky told lawmakers that Ukraine is still "alive and kicking" 10 months after Russia's invasion and will "never surrender." He thanked President Biden, both parties in both houses of Congress, and the American people for the billions in economic and military assistance they have given Ukraine, and he said Ukraine needs more aid to win.

"Your money is not charity," Zelensky said. "It's an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way." This battle against anti-democratic tyranny "cannot be frozen or postponed, it cannot be ignored hoping that the ocean or something else will provide protection," he added. "So much depends on the world. So much in the world depends on you."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.