WASHINGTON, D.C. (KFGO) – The Ukrainian President addressed a joint session of Congress Wednesday, sharing a video depicting the human toll of the war and invoking Pearl Harbor and 9/11 to appeal to the U.S. for more help in defending his country against the Russian invasion.
The North Dakota delegation attended the speech and supported the call for additional aid.
Congressman Kelly Armstrong said Volodymyr Zelensky did an effective job of painting a picture of the atrocities being committed by Vladimir Putin’s forces and said the U.S. needs to assess what more it can do to help.
“I think we have to prepare for what are our red lines? Where do these things exist where you have to engage? We know Article 5 of NATO is one of them. But on the other side, they are targeting civilians. They targeted a hospital. They are targeting humanitarian supplies. These are real problems that the rest of the world has to stand up to,” he said.
He said we need to get better and quicker about getting Ukraine the assistance they need.
“I don’t think the American people or the North Dakota people have an appetite for this evolving into WWIII and we have to be cognizant of that fact,” he said.
In a statement, Senator Kevin Cramer said Zelensky’s speech should motivate the U.S. do more.
“We are not, at this point, at all interested in engaging with personnel in this war, but we can do more to help our friend. We can do a lot more to make sure not only Vladimir Putin, but other bullies watching this know there will be a price to pay for their evil and it will not be allowed to be unleashed onto the free world. This is where America’s leadership is so critical,” Cramer said.
“We need to give the Ukrainian people the tools to carry on the fight they are conducting so valiantly,” Senator John Hoeven said.
He added that having visited Ukraine it is heartbreaking to see it being devastated in this way.
Hours after Zelensky’s speech, the Biden administration committed to $800 million in military aid as well as more anti-aircraft, anti-armor weapons and drones to Ukraine to assist in its defense against Russia.
