Annotated Transcript: Zelensky’s Speech to Congress

The destruction of our nation, the destruction of Europe. All American ports needs to be closed for Russian items. We — peace is extra essential than revenue and we have now to defend this precept in the entire world. We already grew to become a part of the antiwar coalition — a giant antiwar coalition that unites many international locations, dozens of nations, those that reacted too in precept to President Putin’s resolution to invade our nation — however we have to transfer on and do extra.

We have to create new instruments to reply shortly and cease the conflict. The complete-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started on February twenty fourth. And it will be truthful if it led to a day, in 24 hours, that evil could be punished instantly. Immediately, the world doesn’t have such instruments. The conflict of the previous have prompted our predecessors to create establishments that ought to defend us from conflict. However they sadly don’t work. We see it, you see it.

So we want new ones, new establishments, new alliances, and we provide them. We suggest to create an affiliation, U-24, United for Peace, a union of accountable international locations which have the power and consciousness to cease conflicts instantly, present all the mandatory help in 24 hours if needed, even weapons, if needed. Sanctions, humanitarian assist, political assist, funds, every little thing it is advisable to hold the peace and shortly save the world, to avoid wasting lives. As well as, such affiliation, such union might present help to those that are experiencing pure disasters, man-made disasters, who fell victims to humanitarian disaster, or epidemics.

Bear in mind how troublesome it was for the world to do the only factor? Simply to provide vaccines, vaccines towards Covid to avoid wasting lives, to stop new strains. The world spent months, years doing issues like that a lot quicker to ensure there are not any human losses, no victims. Women and gents, Individuals, if such alliance would exist as we speak that’s U-24, we’d be capable of save hundreds of lives in our nation, in lots of international locations of the world.

Those that want peace, those that undergo inhumane destruction. I ask you to observe one video — video of what the Russian troops did in our nation, in our land. We now have to cease it. We should stop it, preventively destroy each single aggressor who seeks to subjugate different nations. Please watch the video.

[After video plays, Mr. Zelensky resumes his speech in English.]

Zelensky solid U.S. assist as an ethical crucial.

And ultimately, to sum it up, as we speak — as we speak it’s not sufficient to be the chief of the nation. Immediately it takes to be the chief of the world, being the chief of the world means to be the chief of peace. Peace in your nation doesn’t rely anymore solely on you and your individuals. It will depend on these subsequent to you and those that are robust. Sturdy doesn’t imply massive. Sturdy is courageous and able to struggle for the lifetime of his residents and residents of the world. For human rights, for freedom, for the fitting to reside decently, and to die when your time comes, and never when it’s needed by another person, by your neighbor.

Calling on America’s personal picture of itself because the chief of the free world, Mr. Zelensky argued that the USA had an ethical obligation to assist defend Ukraine — certainly, any democracy underneath siege — regardless that it isn’t a member of NATO.

The enchantment carried each emotional and patriotic overtones for members of Congress, and was a passage of his handle cited by a number of lawmakers afterward.