Ian Patrick, FISM News
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska went before the United States Congress on Wednesday to plead for more weapons and aid as her country continues to fight the Russian invasion.
After she was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Zelenska addressed the audience “as a daughter and as a mother.” Speaking through a translator, she spoke about the importance of family and told the stories of Ukrainian civilians who she said perished in different Russian attacks.
“We remain completely broken when our world is destroyed by war. Tens of thousands of such worlds have been destroyed in Ukraine,” Zelenska said.
After telling the stories of those who have been impacted by the war, Zelenska said that her nation was “really grateful that the United States stands with us in this fight for our shared values of human life and independence.”
“While Russia kills, America saves,” Zelenska praised. “But, unfortunately, the war is not over. The terror continues.”
Zelenska then made a plea to Congress for more weapons to defend Ukraine.
I am asking for something now I would never want to ask. I am asking for weapons, weapons that would not be used to wage a war on somebody else’s land, but to protect one’s home and the right to wake up alive in that home. I am asking for air defense systems in order for rockets not to kill children in their strollers, in order for rockets not to destroy children’s rooms and kill entire families.
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska addresses U.S. Congress via translator:
"While Russia kills, America saves … I'm asking for something now that I would never want to ask. I am asking for weapons." pic.twitter.com/T9uSOI51M3
— The Recount (@therecount) July 20, 2022
Zelenska said the U.S. knows what the fight against terrorism looks like, referring to U.S. campaigns against ISIS and other terrorist agencies around the globe asking for help “to stop this terror against Ukrainians” in order to secure a “joint great victory in the name of life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The speech was received well by both parties. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said afterward that he believes “now’s the time to put together another aid package to go into 2023 with a supply of advanced weapons and economic assistance to stay in the fight.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, “What we saw here was human tragedy right before our eyes, innocent people murdered. Why? Because they are Ukrainians. That’s genocide. That’s what happened in World War Two. And that needs to be stopped.”
The United States has allocated billions of dollars of aid to Ukraine, including the signing of a recent $40 billion aid package that includes military, economic and humanitarian assistance. The U.S. has provided $8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine thus far, according to a Reuters report.
Zelenska also met with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he looks forward to “significant results” from his wife’s meetings in Washington.
Russia pumps gas back to Europe at limited capacity
On Thursday, Russia resumed the flow of gas into Europe after a 10-day outage through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at a limited capacity.
Russia said it had stopped the flow of gas through the pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea into Germany, on July 11 for maintenance. However, the pipeline was only running at 40% capacity before and after maintenance due to sanctions spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen however did not believe the decrease in output was “routine” saying, “Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon.”
Because of the limited capacity and the fear that Russia may completely cut off supplies, some European states fear a gas supply crisis when winter comes. Germany is already facing this crisis as it relies heavily on Russian imported gasoline.
European states, including Germany, have begun implementing emergency plans. The European Commission introduced yesterday a voluntary target for cutting back on gasoline consumption for all included states. If passed, this target asks member states to cut gas use by 15% from August to March compared to usage in the same period of 2016-2021 according to a Reuters report.
The Commission also sought authority to institute a mandatory reduction of gas if the need arose.
The Kremlin denied the accusation that they were weaponizing energy production and blamed Western sanctions for the reduced gas flow.