Zelenskiy gets standing ovations in U.S. Congress – ThePrint –

(Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on his first wartime foreign visit, told the U.S. Congress on Wednesday that aid to Ukraine is an investment in democracy and not charity, and he invoked American efforts to defeat the Nazis in World War Two.

DIPLOMACY* Zelenskiy told lawmakers in the soaring House of Representatives chamber that he hoped they would continue to support Ukraine on a bipartisan basis – a major point as Republicans are due to take the majority in the House on Jan. 3.* The Ukrainian president said that a “just peace” with Russia means no compromises on his country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but questioned if there could be such a peace for parents who have lost their children.

* Zelenskiy’s surprise visit to Washington, his first overseas trip since Russia invaded his country 300 days ago, started with a secretive train ride to Poland late on Tuesday.* The Biden-Zelenskiy meeting spotlighted a high point in the relationship between the two countries, despite some friction along the way. Zelenskiy’s aide stated that the trip would prove Russian attempts to claim that U.S.-Ukrainian relations have cooled.

* The United States will provide $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine, including a transfer of the Patriot Air Defense System, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

* The U.S. Senate has advanced a government-funding bill that includes $44.9 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies.

* The Biden administration unveiled new curbs on technology exports to Russia’s Wagner military group, in a bid to further choke off supplies to the contractor over its role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

CONFLICT* A former Russian deputy prime minister and a pro-Moscow official were injured when Ukrainian forces shelled the eastern city of Donetsk on Wednesday, Russian news agencies said.

* President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian army must learn from and fix the problems it had suffered in Ukraine, promising to give the military whatever it needed to prosecute a war nearing the end of its 10th month. Putin spoke to the defense chiefs in Moscow and stated that there are no financial limitations on the amount of equipment or hardware that the government will provide.

* Ukraine’s power grid operator, Ukrenergo, reported a “significant power shortage” and restrictions caused by missile and drone attacks.

(Compiled by Cynthia Osterman

Disclaimer: This report has been generated automatically using the Reuters news service. ThePrint is not responsible for the content.