Ukraine war: Zelensky's visit shows neither Ukraine nor US want peace, Russia says - BBC

Russia has powerfully criticised the sojourn to Washington by Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing the US of warring an indirect warfare against it.

President Joe Biden has pledged $1.85bn (£1.45bn) of subject assistance for Ukraine - including an precocious rocket strategy to assistance defender against Russian attacks.

In a defiant code to US lawmakers, Mr Zelensky welcomed the assistance.

But Russia's US ambassador said these "provocative actions" would pb to an escalation with terrible consequences.

Anatoly Antonov told Russian authorities media that Moscow was "trying to entreaty to communal consciousness astatine each levels", but speech of delivering the Patriot rocket strategy to Kyiv was "deeply disturbing".

Patriot missiles are capable, effectual and expensive. The White House says they volition assistance support Ukrainians against "Russia's barbaric attacks connected Ukraine's captious infrastructure".

Moscow has complained that nary calls for bid were heard during President Zelensky's travel to Washington - with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov describing this arsenic impervious that the US was warring a proxy warfare with Russia.

Mr Peskov added that delivering Patriot missiles would not forestall Russia from "achieving its goals during the peculiar subject operation".

"The talks successful Washington person shown that neither Ukraine nor the United States is seeking peace. They are simply intent connected continuing the fighting," said Russian overseas ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

Russian commentators person echoed this - repeatedly accusing the US of "pumping Ukraine afloat of weapons".

Some media reports from Moscow ridiculed the Ukrainian person - with authorities TV's Channel One comparing him to a stripper begging for money. On Wednesday, helium was likened to a toilet brush.

Marking his archetypal overseas travel since the commencement of the invasion, Mr Zelensky told Congress his state was "alive and kicking" and would ne'er surrender to Moscow.

As good arsenic the $1.85bn bundle that has already been announced, different $45bn of US exigency assistance is presently earlier the Senate.

Mr Zelensky expressed anticipation this other backing would beryllium approved, to "help america to support our values and independence".

But determination are signs that US enactment is apt to look greater governmental scrutiny. Republican enactment for continued assistance has been eroding.

In a survey conducted successful November, conscionable implicit fractional of Republican voters supported assistance to Ukraine - down from 80% successful March.

The party, which volition instrumentality power of the House of Representatives successful January, has warned it volition not constitute a "blank cheque" for Ukraine.

But President Biden has vowed to instrumentality by Ukraine "for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes".

Mr Zelensky, who travelled connected a US Air Force pitchy from the Polish metropolis of Rzeszow, said that "regardless of changes successful the Congress", helium believed determination would beryllium bipartisan enactment for his country.

He made his plea successful emotive presumption earlier a associated league of Congress - a code that was interrupted 18 times with lasting ovations by astir each members of Congress, with the objection of immoderate Republican lawmakers who did not clap.

Speaking successful English, helium told them his state was inactive lasting "against each odds" and predicted "a turning point" successful the struggle adjacent year.

To exemplify the brutality of the war, Mr Zelensky evoked US troops warring the Nazis during World War Two.

"The Russians' maneuver is primitive. They pain down and destruct everything they see. They sent convicts to the beforehand lines, to the war. They threw everything against us, akin to the different tyranny, which successful the Battle of the Bulge threw everything it had against the escaped world.

"Just similar the brave American soldiers who held their lines and fought backmost Hitler's forces during the Christmas of 1944, brave Ukrainian soldiers are doing the aforesaid to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's forces this Christmas," helium said. "Ukraine holds its lines and volition ne'er surrender."

Concluding his speech, Mr Zelensky presented Congress with a conflict emblem signed by the defenders of Bakhmut, a frontline metropolis successful the eastbound of Ukraine that helium visited connected the eve of his Washington trip.

At a associated quality conference, Mr Biden told reporters helium was "not astatine each worried" astir holding the planetary conjugation together.

Despite concerns immoderate allies whitethorn beryllium feeling the strain of the conflict's outgo and disruption to planetary nutrient and vigor supplies, the US president said helium felt "very good" astir the solidarity of enactment for Ukraine.

As Ukraine's astir important ally, the US has already committed $50bn (£41bn) of humanitarian, fiscal and information assistance - acold much than immoderate different country.

On his mode location from Washington, Volodymyr Zelensky stopped successful Poland wherever helium met Polish President Andrzej Duda, 1 of his strongest allies.

The 2 discussed the US sojourn arsenic good arsenic their "strategic plans for the future", Mr Zelensky said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine connected 24 February, the US subject estimates that astatine slightest 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers person been killed oregon injured, on with immoderate 40,000 civilian deaths.

The UN has recorded 7.8 cardinal radical arsenic refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia. However, the fig does not see those who person been forced to fly their homes but stay successful Ukraine.