“We remain completely devastated when our world is destroyed by war. Tens of thousands of such worlds have been destroyed in Ukraine,” he said, through a translator, in an emotional 15-minute speech to members of the House and Senate. The wife of Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, showed videos of children she said were injured or killed, including a three-year-old boy who is now learning to use prosthetic limbs. “How many children like him are there in Ukraine? How many families like this can still be destroyed by war? This is Russia’s Hunger Games,” she said, referring to a series of novels and films in which people hunt each other. “I’m asking for guns, guns that won’t be used to wage war on someone else’s land, but to protect someone’s home and the right to wake up alive in that home. “The answer is right here in Washington. Help us stop this terror against Ukrainians and this will be our common great victory in the name of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The US has provided $8 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the war began, including $2.2 billion in the last month, the Biden administration says. Members of Congress responded strongly Wednesday and said they were ready to authorize more. “They are not asking for American soldiers,” South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said after the speech. “They want American weapons. I think now is the time to put together another aid package for 2023 with the supply of advanced weapons and financial assistance to stay in the fight. Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, said: “What we saw here was a human tragedy before our eyes, innocent people were murdered. Why; Because they are Ukrainians. This is genocide. This happened in the second world war. And this has to stop.” Zelenska said: “The war is not over. The horror continues, and I appeal to all of you, on behalf of those who have been killed, on behalf of those people who have lost their arms and legs, on behalf of those who are still alive and well and those who are waiting for their families to return from in front. “I am asking for weapons, weapons that could not be used to wage war on someone else’s land, but to protect the home and the right to live a life in it. I asked for air defense systems so that rockets don’t kill children in their prams, so that rockets don’t destroy children’s homes and kill entire families.” Zelensky said he expected “significant results” from his wife’s meetings in Washington. He met on Tuesday at the White House with Joe Biden and US first lady Jill Biden. Russia calls its action in Ukraine a “special military operation” to ensure its own security. Zelenska concluded her remarks by describing the Russian invasion as terrorism and linking it to America’s experiences with such attacks. “America unfortunately knows from its own experience what terrorist attacks are and has always tried to defeat terrorism,” he said. “Help us stop this terror against Ukrainians and this will be our common great victory in the name of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of every person, every family. “This is what my husband and I are asking for, not as a presidential couple but as parents and their parents’ children. Because we want every father and every mother to be able to say to their child, sleep in peace, there will be no more airstrikes, there will be no more missiles. Is that too much to wish for?’ Lawmakers in the room applauded as she finished her speech.
