Russia-Ukraine war live: Zelenskiy tells US Congress aid is not charity; Biden announces $1.85bn package including Patriot air defence missiles - The Guardian

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In lawsuit you missed Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s code to US Congress earlier, the Ukrainian president said his state is inactive “alive and kicking” contempt Russian “tyranny”.

Zelenskiy made a bid to transportation Republican lawmakers to proceed to money his country’s defence against Russia.

“It is simply a large honour for maine to beryllium astatine the US Congress and talk to you and each Americans. Against each doom-and-gloom scenarios, Ukraine did not fall. Ukraine is live and kicking,” helium said. “We defeated Russia successful the conflict for the minds of the world”.

Watch video of the highlights below.

Zelenskiy tells US Congress Ukraine is 'alive and kicking' contempt Russian 'tyranny' – video

Russian officials injured successful Donetsk – reports

A erstwhile Russian lawman premier curate and a pro-Moscow authoritative were injured erstwhile Ukrainian forces shelled the eastbound metropolis of Donetsk connected Wednesday, Russian quality agencies said.

Donetsk, controlled by pro-Moscow troops, is successful the concern Donbas region, epicentre of caller bitter warring betwixt Russia and Ukraine.

One of the injured men was Dmitry Rogozin, a erstwhile Russian lawman premier curate who is giving subject proposal to 2 occupied regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims arsenic its own, an adjutant told Tass quality agency, his beingness was not successful danger.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seen with Dmitry Rogozin extracurricular  Moscow successful  April 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin seen with Dmitry Rogozin extracurricular Moscow successful April 2019. Photograph: Alexei Nikolsky/AP

Also wounded was Vitaly Khotsenko, the caput of authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, his property caput told Russian quality agencies.

The Guardian has not been capable to verify these reports independently.

Summary: What Zelenskiy told congress

In an code to US legislature made 12 days earlier Republicans instrumentality the House, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy – who was successful the US connected his archetypal overseas sojourn since Russia’s penetration of Ukraine 300 days agone – emphasised that US assistance volition assistance Ukraine to unafraid a triumph that volition marque the satellite safer.

He started by saying that the US, Europe and Ukraine had unneurotic “defeated Russian successful the conflict for minds of the world”.

Zelenskiy was besides blunt astir wanting much aid, saying that portion helium was grateful for commitments truthful far, it was not enough. He besides called connected the US to spot further sanctions connected Russia, and bring the radical down the warfare to justice. He utilized the words bipartisan repeatedly, and bicameral, astatine slightest once, and sought to guarantee Republican and Democrat lawmakers that assistance for Ukraine was worthwhile, and that the state was a liable steward of assistance.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives to talk  during a associated  gathering  of Congress astatine  the US Capitol successful  Washington, DC, connected  Wednesday.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives to talk during a associated gathering of Congress astatine the US Capitol successful Washington, DC, connected Wednesday. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

“Your wealth is not charity. It’s an concern successful the planetary information and ideology that we grip successful the astir liable way,” helium said.

Zelenskiy repeatedly referred to battles successful satellite warfare two, which was apt strategical – a reminder that what is astatine involvement is planetary politics, not conscionable Ukraine’s freedom.

He quoted Franklin D Roosevelt’s during the 2nd satellite war: “The American radical successful their righteous mightiness volition triumph done to implicit victory,” adding, “I archer you: The Ukrainian radical volition win, too: absolutely.”

As helium ended his speech, the thanked American families – the taxpayers backing US assistance to Ukraine – saying, “Now, astatine this peculiar Christmas time, 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 our people.”

Zelenskiy joked astir the Patriot strategy during his property league with Biden:

What is the Patriot surface-to-air rocket defence system?

Among the defence assistance announced by Biden connected Wednesday is the formidable Patriot surface-to-air rocket defence system.

Zelenskiy said the US committedness to supply the strategy was an important measurement successful creating an effectual aerial shield.

“This is the lone mode that we tin deprive the violent authorities of its main instrumentality of panic - the anticipation to deed our cities, our energy,” Zelenskiy told a White House quality conference, lasting adjacent to Biden.

The Patriot strategy is “a antiaircraft system, it’s not escalatory, it’s defensive” Biden told reporters.

“We’d emotion not to person them used, conscionable halt the attacks.”

The Patriot is considered to beryllium 1 of the astir precocious US aerial defence systems and offers extortion against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles. It typically includes launchers on with radar and different enactment vehicle.

Writing yesterday successful the Guardian, Jack Watling, elder probe chap for onshore warfare astatine the Royal United Services Institute, looked astatine the transformational benefits arsenic good arsenic the risks progressive successful the determination to nonstop the weapons to Ukraine:

Some fearfulness that giving definite subject enactment to Ukraine risks wider escalation, but this was not the ground for US reluctance to nonstop Patriot systems. The US has importantly less of them than its ain operational investigation suggests are indispensable to support its forces successful the Indo-Pacific.

Moreover, determination is continuing request for missiles from existing users, from Sweden to Saudi Arabia: the second expends a important fig of missiles each period successful defence of its captious nationalist infrastructure. Missile manufacturing levels, meanwhile, are low.”

'Your wealth is not charity', Zelenskiy tells US Congress

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the US Congress that assistance to Ukraine was an concern successful ideology and “not charity” arsenic helium invoked American battles against the Nazis successful World War Two to property for much assistance for his country’s warfare effort.

Zelenskiy’s comments connected Wednesday travel arsenic Republicans - immoderate of whom person voiced expanding scepticism astir sending truthful overmuch assistance to Ukraine - are acceptable to instrumentality power of the US House of Representatives from Democrats connected 3 January.

Some hardline Republicans person adjacent urged an extremity to assistance and an audit to hint however allocated wealth has been spent.

“Your wealth is not charity. It is an concern successful the planetary information and ideology that we grip successful the astir liable way,” Zelenskiy told a associated league of the US Senate and House of Representatives, speaking successful English.

Summary and welcome

Hello and invited to today’s unrecorded sum of the warfare successful Ukraine. It is presently 7.30am successful Kyiv. My sanction is Helen Sullivan and I’ll beryllium with you for the adjacent hour.

On Wednesday evening successful Washington DC, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, addressed members of the US Congress successful person, connected his archetypal overseas sojourn since the outbreak of the war.

We’ll bring you the cardinal developments from Zelenskiy’s sojourn arsenic good arsenic quality from the crushed successful Ukraine.

In the meantime, present is caller news:

  • A erstwhile Russian lawman premier curate and a pro-Moscow authoritative were injured erstwhile Ukrainian forces shelled the eastbound metropolis of Donetsk connected Wednesday, Russian quality agencies said. Donetsk, controlled by pro-Moscow troops, is successful the concern Donbas region, the centre of caller bitter warring betwixt Russia and Ukraine.

  • The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has pledged to springiness his service thing it asks for, promising nary fiscal limits connected what the authorities would supply successful presumption of instrumentality and hardware. Speaking successful Moscow aft gathering with Russia’s apical subject officials, Putin said determination were nary “funding restrictions” for the military.

  • Putin besides acknowledged that the call-up of 300,000 reservists helium ordered successful September had not gone smoothly, the latest successful a bid of caller comments successful which helium has admitted the challenges his service is facing. “The partial mobilisation that was carried retired revealed definite problems, arsenic everyone good knows, which should beryllium promptly addressed,” helium said.

  • The UN volition allocate an further $20m from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to enactment much than 300 civilian nine organisations and unpaid groups. “These groups person ever been the backbone of the humanitarian effect successful Ukraine and adjacent much since the warfare started successful precocious February,” said Denise Brown, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

  • In an overwhelming ballot of 93-2, the US Senate confirmed the assignment of Lynne M Tracy arsenic the caller US ambassador to Russia on Wednesday. Tracy, a vocation diplomat of the US overseas service, “will beryllium tasked with lasting up to [Vladimir] Putin”, the Associated Press quoted the Senate bulk leader, Chuck Schumer, arsenic saying.

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