The day closed with flags for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, DC.
He brought to the Wednesday evening Joint Session of Congress he addressed a battle flag he had recovered in Bakhmut, the most recent and most devastated target of Russian military assault.
At the conclusion of his speech, he passed the flag to Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris, who were seated directly behind him in their respective seats as speaker of the House and president of the Senate.
Two minutes later, Pelosi presented him with the flag that had been flown over the Capitol in his honor. She stated that someone will execute the task for him. “I can take,” Zelensky answered.
So you may refer to it as stagy. It can be called theater. You may frame it negatively if you so wish. Go ahead. It is a free nation. Be a jerk. Be a figure that history will only cite to ridicule your nihilistic cynicism. It is your discretion.
The flag exchange was an unexpectedly beautiful moment in time. And it was the culmination of a beautiful, unexpected, and crucial struggle.
Zelensky traveled to Washington in order to fulfill three tasks, all of which he accomplished brilliantly.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi presents President Zelensky with an American flag on December 21, 2022 in Washington, D.C.
Initially, he desired to demonstrate to the world and Vladimir Putin that he, as the embodiment of his courageous and exciting nation, is not only surviving but also had the fighting spirit, toughness, and charisma of a world-historic victor.
Second, as he told Congress, he intended to argue that backing for Ukraine is not “charity.” It constitutes an investment.
President Zelensky stands alongside Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris on December 21, 2022 in Washington, DC, after receiving an American flag.
SIPA
He like to conclude by expressing gratitude to the United States for its global leadership in supporting the Ukrainian cause. And not just because it has saved and will continue to save his country and millions who may perish in the conflict.
A United States cause
It is not solely because he knows he will return to the well to seek additional assistance to defeat Putin. A Ukrainian victory over Putin’s aggression should also be considered an American cause since it will increase American security.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began 300 days prior to Zelensky’s arrival in our nation’s capital, stunned the world, which had assumed Russia could not be denied its prize once it had captured it.
21 December 2022, in Washington, D.C., President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine meets with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris.
But when Zelensky remained in Kiev and did not evacuate, and when the Ukrainians fought back with stunning vigor, and when the Russian tanks began to sink in the mud — all of which occurred within the first week — it became evident that this was a world-changing event.
The despot who began the most brazen act of military criminality in decades was not going to have it easy. It was supposed to be something different.
Three hundred days later, as was true on the first day, the Ukrainian people are exhibiting the most courageous resistance to tyranny and aggression we have seen in our lifetimes in response to the horrors Putin is inflicting upon them.
A staff member raises a Ukrainian flag as Nancy Pelosi leaves a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol on December 21, 2022 in Washington, DC.
We are not constrained by circumstance to watch helplessly while the dictators smash the heroes, as we were in the past. We have been given the opportunity to contribute to the heroism and assist in achieving the result that the world requires.
Zelensky came to thank us, and he did so correctly. Permit me to simply respond: Right back at you.
»Banner day honoring Ukraine hero Zelensky in DC«