Volodymyr Zelenskyj says one word particularly often during his visit to the USA: Thank you. The Ukrainian says thank you in the White House, in the Senate, in the House of Representatives – and in a speech to the people of the country.
Volodymyr Zelenskyj stands next to his wife Olena in a large domed hall in the National Archives in Washington. The Ukrainian president, as usual, in an olive green military shirt, his wife in a light blouse with her hair pinned up. The two take turns taking the microphone and speaking to the invited guests, but above all to the American people. Your central message: Thank you.
“There is not a single soul in Ukraine that does not feel gratitude towards you, America,” Zelensky said. “Towards you who help us – not because you have to, but because your heart does not allow it otherwise.” The 45-year-old adds: “That’s humanity.” That is what America and Ukraine are all about.
Zelensky thanks the USA
The National Archives is located halfway between the White House and Congress – the two places where Zelensky rushed from meeting to meeting throughout the day to secure further support for his country. Right in the middle, the Ukrainian is now trying to address not the politicians, but the people in the country.
In the room are Ukrainian youth whose war injuries are being treated in the United States, doctors who care for wounded Ukrainians in US hospitals, activists and other people who have initiated fundraisers for Ukraine. Zelenskyj calls the helpers to the stage individually, honors them and repeatedly speaks of his gratitude and the great hearts of the Americans. “If America didn’t have people like that, there would be no freedom in the world,” he says. “I thank everyone, every American, everyone in the world who helps – for every life saved in Ukraine.”
Olena Selenska says her country has never had so much reason to be grateful. Every now and then she takes several deep breaths and seems nervous. Zelenskyj also seems more thoughtful and withdrawn than usual. This evening it is not the combative wartime president who is speaking, but rather an almost humble head of government. Zelensky seems painfully aware that it has become much more difficult to convince people in the United States and elsewhere around the world to pour money into a war with no end in sight.
Skepticism among Republicans
Zelensky last visited the US capital at the end of last year. Shortly before Christmas, he was welcomed like a hero, spoke to both chambers of the US Congress to the cheers of parliamentarians and took home a huge military package worth 1.85 billion US dollars (1.73 billion euros). Nine months later, some war weariness has set in. This time the Republicans, who now have the say in the US House of Representatives, are preventing him from giving him a major speech in Parliament. And the new military aid that the US government promised him during this visit corresponds to only a fraction of the package that he took with him back then.
There is considerable skepticism in parts of the Republican Party as to whether huge amounts of American taxpayer money should continue to flow to defend against the Russian invasion. Since the start of the war, the United States has provided almost $44 billion in military aid to Kiev alone – more than any other country. The majority of Republicans in Congress support continued support for Ukraine. Right-wing hardliners in particular are against it. “I will not support a single cent going to Ukraine,” said Republican Senator Roger Marshall shortly before Zelensky’s visit – and announced that he would boycott an appointment with the Ukrainian president in Congress.
Other Republicans have also complained in recent days that America can no longer openly pull out the checkbook for Kiev. It’s election season in the US, and with each passing day approaching the next presidential election in November 2024, populist messages of this kind are likely to increase.
And so Zelenskyj rushes from one appointment to the next during his visit to Washington: in the Senate, in the House of Representatives, in the Defense Department, in the White House. Democratic President Joe Biden pledges continued support for Ukraine and seeks encouragement: “The American people, Democrats and Republicans alike, families across our country, understand what Ukraine is fighting for,” he says. However, he is not yet fulfilling his Ukrainian counterpart’s new request for ATACMS-type missiles.
Meetings behind closed doors
And Zelensky has a lot of convincing to do in Congress. Behind closed doors, he explains the situation on the battlefield to senators and representatives. He also expressed gratitude there, as members of Congress reported after the meetings. But he also makes dramatic announcements. Selenskyj had a “powerful message,” wrote Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal after the meeting on Platform X. The Ukrainian told the senators: “You gave money, we gave life.”
In the first months of the war, the Ukrainian government sometimes acted very boldly and, after agreeing to one weapon system from the West, immediately asked for the next one. The US government initially always defended its demanding behavior by saying that anyone who was in the middle of a war and fighting for their existence could never have enough weapons and ammunition from their own point of view. But now she also makes it clear that the billions in support for Ukraine needs a lot of accompanying communication help in order not to alienate citizens and voters.
In July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan reacted irritably to criticism from a Ukrainian activist who complained that her country would not be included in the military alliance. The American people are doing their best to support Ukraine, Sullivan countered. “And I think the American people deserve some gratitude.”
The message has arrived. Zelensky said thank you dozens of times during his short visit to the US capital. And when he appeared at the National Archives, he concluded with these words: “Thank you for everything. Thank you for your support. Ukraine will never forget this.” That same evening he traveled to Canada to campaign for support there too.