President Zelensky's Call to Arms
Amid echoes of another pivotal leader's visit during a time of war, Zelensky thanks America and invokes our history.
Zelensky’s Visit
In a historic visit to Washington, D.C., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday to thank Americans for the tens of billions of dollars of US military and economic assistance to Ukraine’s war effort.
“Your money is not charity,” he sought to reassure legislators in the room and those watching at home. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
Just before his arrival, the U.S. announced a new $1.8 billion military aid package, including for the first time Patriot surface-to-air missiles. And Congress planned to vote this week on a fresh spending package that includes about $45 billion in additional emergency assistance to Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.
The whirlwind stop in Washington — his first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February — was aimed at reinvigorating support for his country in the U.S. and around the world at a time when there is concern that allies are growing weary of the costly war and its disruption to global food and energy supplies.
President Joe Biden hosted Zelensky in the Oval Office for strategy consultations, saying the U.S. and Ukraine would maintain their “united defense” as Russia wages a “brutal assault on Ukraine’s right to exist as a nation.” Biden pledged to help bring about a “just peace.”
Zelensky told cheering lawmakers that Ukraine “will never surrender” and compared his country’s struggles to US victories in the Battle of the Bulge, a turning point against Nazi Germany during World War II, and the Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolution, which convinced France to join the young country’s quest for independence.
The Ukrainian leader predicted that next year would be a “turning point” in the conflict, “when Ukrainian courage and American resolve must guarantee the future of our common freedom — the freedom of people who stand for their values.”
As the speech ended, Zelensky presented Congress with a Ukrainian flag autographed by troops fighting on the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region of the country.
The day before traveling to the US, in a significant show of support and defiance, President Zelensky made an unannounced visit to Bakhmut where Ukrainian and Russian forces have fought a fierce, months-long battle for the city.
In return, Nancy Pelosi gave Zelensky an American flag that had flown over the Capitol that day.
READ MORE: Zelensky thanks ‘every American,’ sees ‘turning point’ (Associated Press)
Of Note: Zelensky and the people of Ukraine were chosen as TIME’s Person of the Year. Read about this selection in my article, Ukraine’s Inspiring Defense of Democracy.
Churchill’s Visit
Zelensky’s historic visit to Washington comes nearly eighty-one years later, almost to the day, that Winston Churchill stood before Congress on December 26, 1941 to appeal for America’s help in fighting the Axis Powers during World War II.
Occurring less than three weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it is remembered as one of the most important visits to Washington by a foreign leader.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remarked before Zelensky’s address that "another historic leader addresses the Congress in a time of war with democracy itself on the line."
According to BBC News, Churchill’s presence in Washington had caused a flurry of excitement. He held a press conference with Mr. Roosevelt and even participated in the lighting of the national Christmas tree.
"Americans have caught on to one of Winston Churchill's major characteristics - his ability to thrill a crowd," The Washington Post reported at the time.
The prime minister’s speech to Congress highlighted the strong relationship between the two world powers, but warned that a “time of tribulation was upon us.”
He was convinced that the United States was a crucial ally in the war against Nazi Germany and could turn the tide of the war.
“They do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget,” Churchill said. "Here we are together. Defending all that to free men is dear."
READ MORE: Zelensky's address to US Congress comes 81 years after Churchill did the same (BBC News)
The Battle for Bastogne
President Zelensky has been instrumental in rallying the world’s support for Ukraine. His passionate speeches to world leaders have frequently invoked moments in those nations’ own histories to make parallel references to today.
Zelensky’s remarks comparing the war in Ukraine with the battles of Saratoga and Bastogne for their importance to American history was a continuation of that tradition.
With Christmas approaching, it’s worth remembering the famous battle that took place in December of 1944 as Germany faced almost certain defeat during the Second World War.
In a last, desperate attempt to blunt the Allied advance in Europe, German high command ordered a counteroffensive against the Allied lines in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium.
On December 16, 1944, in what is now known as the Battle of the Bulge, over 200,000 German troops and Panzer tank divisions attacked, causing a “bulge” in the front lines as US forces were pushed back with heavy losses.
American commanders chose the small town of Bastogne as the place to make a stand and resist the German advance. Units from the 10th Armored and 101st Airborne divisions succeeded in securing the tiny Belgian crossroads, but were quickly surrounded by enemy forces.
After constant shelling of the outnumbered defenders by German tanks and artillery, a message to surrender was sent to the US commander, General Anthony McAuliffe. He simply replied, “Nuts.”
The German onslaught continued through Christmas Day 1944, but the stubborn troops held their ground. Finally, on December 26th, General Patton’s 3rd Army, after one of the most notable advances in military history, broke the siege at Bastogne and rescued the American forces.
Although the fighting in the Ardennes was far from over, the defense of Bastogne was critical to not only the Allied victory in the battle, but the final drive into Germany to end the war.
READ MORE: The siege of Bastogne: When ‘peace on earth’ was only a hope (Washington Times)