Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday (December 21), aiming to persuade Republican lawmakers to continue to fund his country’s defense against Russia.
Following a meeting at the White House with Democratic President Joe Biden, Zelenskiy’s speech needed to resonate with a bipartisan audience of U.S. lawmakers, including House of Representatives Republicans, who have voiced increasing skepticism about continuing to send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine.
Zelenskiy joined a long list of world leaders to address joint meetings of the Senate and House, a tradition that began in 1874 with a visit by Hawaiian King Kalakaua and included almost legendary wartime visits by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, as well as kings, queens and one pope.
