Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday told the U.S. Congress that helping his country is an investment in democracy, not charity, and urged the White House to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Zelenskiy’s journey to the United States is his first foreign trip since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Zelenskyy’s visit comes as the U.S. Senate is set to vote on an omnibus spending bill that will include over $45 billion funding in military and economic help to Ukraine next year. This is billions more than President Joe Biden had asked in November.
Some Republicans, who are set to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives from Democrats on January 3, have voiced concerns about sending so much aid to Ukraine, and have even called for an end to aid and an audit to track how the money has been spent.
“Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way,” Zelenskiy told a joint meeting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, speaking in English.
