Full Transcript of Zelensky’s Speech Before Congress - The New York Times

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke earlier a associated gathering of Congress connected Wednesday night, delivering successful halting but forceful English an impassioned code that thanked the United States for its enactment successful his nation’s warfare against Russia and vowed triumph arsenic helium pleaded for further aid. The pursuing is simply a transcript of his remarks, arsenic recorded by The New York Times.

Thank you truthful much. Thank you truthful overmuch for that. Thank you. It’s excessively overmuch for me. All this for our large people. Thank you truthful much.

Dear Americans, successful each states, cities and communities, each those who worth state and justice, who cherish it arsenic powerfully arsenic we Ukrainians successful our cities, successful each and each family, I anticipation my words of respect and gratitude resonate successful each American heart.

Madam Vice President, I convey you for your efforts successful helping Ukraine. Madam Speaker, you bravely visited Ukraine during the full-fledged war. Thank you precise much. Great honor. Thank you.

I americium precise privileged to beryllium here. Dear members of the Congress, representatives of some parties who besides visited Kyiv, esteemed congressmen and senators from some parties who volition sojourn Ukraine, I americium sure, successful the future; beloved representatives of diaspora, contiguous successful this chamber, and dispersed crossed the country; beloved journalists, it’s a large grant for maine to beryllium astatine the U.S. Congress and talk to you and each Americans.

Against each likelihood and doom-and-gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn’t fall. Ukraine is live and kicking. Thank you. And it gives maine bully crushed to stock with you our first, archetypal associated victory: We defeated Russia successful the conflict for minds of the world. We person nary fear, nor should anyone successful the satellite person it. Ukrainians gained this victory, and it gives america courageousness which inspires the full world.

Americans gained this victory, and that’s wherefore you person succeeded successful uniting the planetary assemblage to support state and planetary law. Europeans gained this victory, and that’s wherefore Europe is present stronger and much autarkic than ever. The Russian tyranny has mislaid power implicit us. And it volition ne'er power our minds again.

Yet, we person to bash immoderate it takes to guarantee that countries of the Global South besides summation specified victory. I cognize 1 more, I deliberation precise important, thing: The Russians volition basal a accidental to beryllium escaped lone erstwhile they decision the Kremlin successful their minds. Yet, the conflict continues, and we person to decision the Kremlin connected the battlefield, yes.

This conflict is not lone for the territory, for this oregon different portion of Europe. The conflict is not lone for life, state and information of Ukrainians oregon immoderate different federation which Russia attempts to conquer. This conflict volition specify successful what satellite our children and grandchildren volition live, and past their children and grandchildren.

It volition specify whether it volition beryllium a ideology of Ukrainians and for Americans — for all. This conflict cannot beryllium frozen oregon postponed. It cannot beryllium ignored, hoping that the water oregon thing other volition supply a protection. From the United States to China, from Europe to Latin America, and from Africa to Australia, the satellite is excessively interconnected and interdependent to let idiosyncratic to enactment speech and astatine the aforesaid clip to consciousness harmless erstwhile specified a conflict continues.

Our 2 nations are allies successful this battle. And adjacent twelvemonth volition beryllium a turning point, I cognize it, the constituent erstwhile Ukrainian courageousness and American resoluteness indispensable warrant the aboriginal of our communal freedom, the state of radical who basal for their values.

Ladies and gentlemen — ladies and gentlemen, Americans, yesterday earlier coming present to Washington, D.C., I was astatine the beforehand enactment successful our Bakhmut. In our stronghold successful the eastbound of Ukraine, successful the Donbas. The Russian subject and mercenaries person been taking Bakhmut nonstop since May. They person been taking it time and night, but Bakhmut stands.

Last twelvemonth — past year, 70,000 radical lived present successful Bakhmut, successful this city, and present lone fewer civilians stay. Every inch of that onshore is soaked successful blood; roaring guns dependable each hour. Trenches successful the Donbas alteration hands respective times a time successful fierce combat, and adjacent manus fighting. But the Ukrainian Donbas stands.

Russians — Russians usage everything, everything they person against Bakhmut and different our beauteous cities. The occupiers person a important vantage successful artillery. They person an vantage successful ammunition. They person overmuch much missiles and planes than we ever had. It’s true, but our defence forces stand. And — and we each are arrogant of them.

The Russians’ maneuver is primitive. They pain down and destruct everything they see. They sent thugs to the beforehand lines. They sent convicts to the war. They threw everything against us, akin to the different tyranny, which is successful the Battle of the Bulge. Threw everything it had against the escaped world, conscionable similar the brave American soldiers which held their lines and fought backmost Hitler’s forces during the Christmas of 1944. Brave Ukrainian soldiers are doing the aforesaid to Putin’s forces this Christmas.

Ukraine — Ukraine holds its lines and volition ne'er surrender. So, so, present the beforehand line, the tyranny which has nary deficiency of cruelty against the lives of escaped radical — and your enactment is crucial, not conscionable to basal successful specified combat but to get to the turning constituent to triumph connected the battlefield.

We person artillery, yes. Thank you. We person it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really. To guarantee Bakhmut is not conscionable a stronghold that holds backmost the Russian Army, but for the Russian Army to wholly propulsion out, much cannons and shells are needed. If so, conscionable similar the Battle of Saratoga, the combat for Bakhmut volition alteration the trajectory of our warfare for independency and for freedom.

If your Patriots halt the Russian panic against our cities, it volition fto Ukrainian patriots enactment to the afloat to support our freedom. When Russia — erstwhile Russia cannot scope our cities by its artillery, it tries to destruct them with rocket attacks. More than that, Russia recovered an state successful this — successful this genocidal policy: Iran. Iranian deadly drones sent to Russia successful hundreds — successful hundreds became a menace to our captious infrastructure. That is however 1 violent has recovered the other.

It is conscionable a substance of clip erstwhile they volition onslaught against your different allies if we bash not halt them now. We indispensable bash it. I judge determination should beryllium nary taboos betwixt america successful our alliance. Ukraine ne'er asked the American soldiers to combat connected our onshore alternatively of us. I guarantee you that Ukrainian soldiers tin perfectly run American tanks and planes themselves.

Financial assistance is besides critically important, and I would similar to convey you, convey you precise much, convey you for some fiscal packages you person already provided america with and the ones you whitethorn beryllium consenting to determine on. Your wealth is not charity. It’s an concern successful the planetary information and ideology that we grip successful the astir liable way.

Russia, Russia could halt its aggression, really, if it wanted to, but you tin velocity up our victory. I cognize it. And it, it volition beryllium to immoderate imaginable aggressor that nary 1 tin win successful breaking nationalist borders, nary 1 committing atrocities and reigning implicit radical against their will. It would beryllium naïve to hold for steps towards bid from Russia, which enjoys being a violent state. Russians are inactive poisoned by the Kremlin.

The restoration of planetary ineligible bid is our associated task. We request peace, yes. Ukraine has already offered proposals, which I conscionable discussed with President Biden, our bid formula, 10 points which should and indispensable beryllium implemented for our associated security, guaranteed for decades up and the acme which tin beryllium held.

I’m gladsome to accidental that President Biden supported our bid inaugural today. Each of you, ladies and gentlemen, tin assistance successful the implementation to guarantee that America’s enactment remains solid, bicameral and bipartisan. Thank you.

You tin fortify sanctions to marque Russia consciousness however ruinous its aggression genuinely is. It is successful your power, really, to assistance america bring to justness everyone who started this unprovoked and transgression war. Let’s bash it. Let violent — fto the violent authorities beryllium held liable for its panic and aggression and compensate each losses done by this war. Let the satellite spot that the United States are here.

Ladies and gentlemen — ladies and gentlemen, Americans, successful 2 days we volition observe Christmas. Maybe candlelit. Not due to the fact that it’s much romantic, no, but due to the fact that determination volition not be, determination volition beryllium nary electricity. Millions won’t person neither heating nor moving water. All of these volition beryllium the effect of Russian rocket and drone attacks connected our vigor infrastructure.

But we bash not complain. We bash not justice and comparison whose beingness is easier. Your well-being is the merchandise of your nationalist security; the effect of your conflict for independency and your galore victories. We, Ukrainians, volition besides spell done our warfare of independency and state with dignity and success.

We’ll observe Christmas. Celebrate Christmas and, adjacent if determination is nary electricity, the airy of our religion successful ourselves volition not beryllium enactment out. If Russian — if Russian missiles onslaught us, we’ll bash our champion to support ourselves. If they onslaught america with Iranian drones and our radical volition person to spell to weaponry shelters connected Christmas Eve, Ukrainians volition inactive beryllium down astatine the vacation array and cheer up each other. And we don’t, don’t person to cognize everyone’s wish, arsenic we cognize that each of us, millions of Ukrainians, privation the same: Victory. Only victory.

We already built beardown Ukraine, with beardown people, beardown army, beardown institutions unneurotic with you. We developed beardown information guarantees for our state and for full Europe and the world, unneurotic with you. And besides unneurotic with you, we’ll enactment successful spot everyone who volition defy freedom. Put-in.

This volition beryllium the ground to support ideology successful Europe and the satellite over. Now, connected this peculiar Christmastime, I privation to convey you, each of you. I convey each American household which cherishes the warmth of its location and wishes the aforesaid warmth to different people. I convey President Biden and some parties, astatine the Senate and the House, for your invaluable assistance. I convey your cities and your citizens who supported Ukraine this year, who hosted our Ukrainians, our people, who waved our nationalist flags, who acted to assistance us. Thank you all, from everyone who is present astatine the beforehand line, from everyone who is awaiting victory.

Standing present today, I callback the wars of the president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which are I deliberation truthful bully for this moment. The American people, successful their righteous might, volition triumph done to implicit victory. The Ukrainian radical volition win, too, absolutely.

I cognize that everything depends connected us, connected Ukrainian equipped forces, yet truthful overmuch depends connected the world. So overmuch successful the satellite depends connected you. When I was successful Bakhmut yesterday, our heroes gave maine the flag, the conflict flag, the emblem of those who support Ukraine, Europe and the satellite astatine the outgo of their lives. They asked maine to bring this emblem to you, to the U.S. Congress, to members of the House of Representatives and senators whose decisions tin prevention millions of people.

So, fto these decisions beryllium taken. Let this emblem enactment with you, ladies and gentlemen. This emblem is simply a awesome of our triumph successful this war. We stand, we combat and we volition triumph due to the fact that we are agreed — Ukraine, America and the full escaped world.

Just 1 thing, if I can, the past happening — convey you truthful much, whitethorn God support our brave troops and citizens, whitethorn God everlastingly bless the United States of America. Merry Christmas and a happy, victorious New Year. Slava Ukraini. [Glory to Ukraine.]