Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address U.S. Congress Wednesday amid the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
Driving the news: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Monday that Zelenskyy would speak before Congress in a virtual address.
- “As war rages on in Ukraine, it is with great respect and admiration for the Ukrainian people that we invite all Members of the House and Senate to attend a Virtual Address to the United States Congress delivered by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Wednesday, March 16th at 9:00 a.m.,” they wrote in a letter, per NBC News.
Why it matters: Zelenskyy is speaking to Congress as Ukraine continues to battle Russia, which invaded Ukraine at the end of February and began an unprovoked war.
Flashback: At least 300 members of the House and Senate previously spoke with Zelenskyy in a Zoom call earlier in March as the war between Ukraine and Russia began, as Deseret News’ Dennis Romboy reported.
How to watch: Zelenskyy’s speech will begin at 7 a.m. MDT.
- You can watch the address on the Congressional YouTube and Twitter channels.
- Major news networks — including CNN, Fox News and MSNBC — are expected to broadcast the speech, too.
- C-SPAN will also have live coverage of the event.
Worth noting: Zelenskyy is expected to use his Wednesday address to turn up the pressure “uncomfortably high” on President Joe Biden and ask Congress for more help, per Politico.
What they’re saying: “Zelenskyy is really good at articulating what’s at stake, that this is a battle for not just for sovereignty for Ukraine but for the world,” Evelyn Farkas, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, told Politico. “He’s made this a ‘we’ situation, not ‘they.’ He’s made this about ‘us’ and he is showing the world that the Ukrainian spirit won’t be snuffed out and is worth saving.”