>> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live. >> will there or won't there be ground troops in our fight against i.s.i.l? president obama and his former defense secretary add to the confusion. also, another nfl player facing new domestic violence allegations. hello i'm antonio mora, welcome to "consider this," we'll have those stories and much more straight ahead. >> i will not commit our armed forces to fighting another ground war in iraq.

>> we know that free syrian army cannot take on i.s.i.l. >> the moderate option in syria has in fact been fighting i.s.i.l. but they require our support. >> growing skepticism that the americans have been. >> clarified the president they've taken it. >> gunmen suspected to be members of boko haram stormed the american college of education in cano. >> nigeria's president, say boko haram is making sweeping inroads in the north. >> the course for adrian is to put him on the exempt list. >> major concerns to the nfl. >> scotland votes whether they want independence from the u.k. >> everyone who cares about our united kingdom is nervous. >> we begin with the continuing controversy over president

obama's strategy to degrade and defeat the i.s.i.l. terrorist army that has overrun large parts of syria and iraq. after meeting with officers at central command at mcdill air force base, president obama reiterated there would be no ground forces in iraq. >> combat forces will not have a gas position. as your commander in chief i will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces in fighting another ground war in iraq. >> and with u.s. continuing to target sources in iraq, haider al-abadi insisted that forces will be in iraq. >> the only contribution that the american forces is going to help us with is from the sky. i have to make this very clear. >> former defense secretary robert gates told al jazeera

this morning that air strikes is not enough. >> so there will be boots on the ground if there's to be any hope of success in the strategy. and i think that by continuing to repeat that, the president, in effect, traps himself. >> for more i'm joined in new york by major mike lyons, he now serves as a senior fellow with the trueman foundation. something that secretary of state john kerry said during a committee meeting in the senate. >> our commander in chief, this doesn't seem series. answer. to the united states as they cry out. >> and you heard bob gates saying that the president has trapped himself. is this more of a political

strategy than a military strategy and could that hurt us? >> right now the strategy is coming from the air. we are providing a blunting force, to give the iraqis time to get their political situation resolved. when americans deploy there's three fundamental ways to do that. they work and train other forces where they're nowhere near combat, they'll have maps, or the combat role. the president is really talking about that combat role, there will be no large scale 20, 30,000 troops in that role. but what secretary gates is right, there are going to be troops in harm's way for us to defeat i.s.i.l. >> i'll talk about security forces in a moment. but air strikes how effective they will be, joint chiefs general dempsey saying well there are growing issues about

that because i.s.i.l. is changing its strategy. he said specifically, a lot of the black flags have come down, a lot of the convoice have dispersed, a lot of the commanders have moved into urban areas. i.s.i.l. adjusting in a way where it would be harder for us to go after them in the air. >> we is had have expected that. that is how terrorists survive. they go to ground, get inside these built up areas. they know full well we won't attack them. now the air support is going to have to be close air sport with iraqi security forces on the ground. many more coordinated over the horizon. >> you mean very specific targets? >> no more over the horizon what was that coming type of attack. they're going to have to be very specific in support of ground offensive. >> we have to rely on the iraqi ground troops

and general dempsey said, 24 of the ground forces so sectarian that they are so unreliable that we simply can't work with them. what does that say about these forces we're relying on to fight these terrorists? >> one of the things the troops have done is taken inventory and we are getting ream information as to the combat forces. who we can bring online to do that and you are right, to have a military where 50% of it is ineffective, what's the use? 100,000 or so soldiers, getting them mustered, it will take a little bit more time. >> what prime minister haider al-abadi had to say about how this is going to play out? >> we are not giving any blank, blank check to the international coalition to hit any target in iraq.

every target that is hit must be approved by us, or we are asked for it. we won't be giving them a blank check for targets hit in iraq. >> are you surprised by that? he is saying that we have to coordinate with the iraqi government. >> anybody who thought they were going to join the air parade which is really what these countries had signed up for, everybody looking to provide this air support, nobody was willing to do it on the ground. but from his perspective he can't have two fighter wings coming from saudi arabia, coming towards iraq, that would be a nightmare politically for him. >> i understand the political issues in there but if the united states is going to go in there and we're going to put our airmen at risk shouldn't the united states be coordinating this and making decisions themselves? >> the united states has a

compromise of synchronizing different air but if the final go-round is going to have to be approved by the iraqi prime minister we're going to replies targets. >> after dempsey saying that 24 of these brigades are completely worthless and we saw how poorly they have fought against i.s.i.l. in the past, do you think we'll get to the point where they will be able to guys? >> there are certain principles of war that describe these kinds of combat conditions and what they have is mass. they should be able to put together a large enough force that creates enough havoc for i.s.i.l. to retreat. >> even warfare is extremely difficult. >> buildingy, close battle, something the americans don't want to fight, we want to use our great technology and stand off, and this enemy has already

chosen not to fight that way. >> major mike lyons, pleasure to have you back. >> thanks for having me. >> obama administration authority to spend as much as $$5 00 million, in the war against i.s.i.l. but the bipartisan vote masks doubts that many moderates have, that the push could success. kentucky senator bob corker. >> we know the free syrian army cannot take on i.s.i.l, you know that. >> the moderate opposition in syria has in fact been fighting i.s.i.l. for last two years. and since last january, the free syrian army has been engaged in i.s.i.l. in idlib, in aleppo, in damascus country side. but they require our support. >> for more on the moderate

syrian opposition, i'm joined by ubay chabendar, ubay, good to have you back on the show. senator joe manchun said, quote, if money and military right could have made a difference, it would have by now. does very a point? is the free syrian army in any better shape than you and i talked a few months ago? >> it absolutely is. it's been the free syrian army that's led the fight against i.s.i.s, and has successfully expelled i.s.i.s. from two major provinces in northern syria that is fighting i.s.i.s. in eastern syria and the damascus country side and been able to do so with very little to no outside support. so imagine if you add american enablers, american trained and

equipped program, to thicken the license to empower the free syrian army to expel i.s.i.s. from its real last safe haven from the northern and eastern syrian country side you really have a chance. >> but ubay, won't participate, defeating bashar al-assad is its top priority. and its colonel ryad al asad, if they want the free syrian army on their side, a plan including revolutionary principles. another group calls itself the syrian revolutionary front, has signed a nonaggression pact with i.s.i.l. >> the free syrian front has done no such thing. that is

a statement that was perpetuated on the internet. the fight against i.s.i.s. in the damascus country side and in northern syria has intensified. these rumors that there have been agreements with the free syrian army and i.s.i.s. is absolutely not true. >> what about focusing on assad and not fighting i.s.i.l? >> the free syrian regime is viewed as the root cause, many in the syrian opposition view be assad and i.s.i.s. as the same side of the same coin. that it is the assad uniquely that continues the -- regime that continues to purchase oil from i.s.i.s. >> many thinks that assad benefits from all this because if he's seen as a bullwark

against terrorism, somehow he will manage to stay in power. but i keep have to challenge you about the moderate syrian opposition. because there are words that steven sotloff was sold to the terrorists by moderates. and a congressman on tuesday said he questioned whether the moderate free syrian army is either moderate or even an army. what do you say to that? >> well, steven sotloff was ultimately captured by i.s.i.s. and there is strong suspicion that i i.t. was the fixer that e hired that ultimately betrayed him. i fully agree with the white house when they sent out the statement that there is absolutely zero evidence that the vetted moderate free syrian army were the ones that kidnapped sotloff. when it comes to the free syrian army, let me be clear, they are committed to 100% against i.s.i.s.

we heard the opposition to come out in favor of the antii.s.i.s. coalition that's being headed by the united states and by moderate regional allies. that is an indication that the forces on the ground are going to continue the fight against i.s.i.s. and that the united states and the west and the moderate regional allies have a proven partner on the ground that is willing and capable to take the fight directly to the heart land, where i.s.i.s. operates. >> now iraq's national security advisor met with president assad on tuesday. >> in consultation with syrian government on this. syria is our neighbor. we cannot afford to fight our neighbor even if we disagree on many things. >> so how can this possibly work? if the syrian army's main goal is drive assad from power and one of the allies is consulting with assad at the same time? >> it is very interesting, in 2009 the iraqi government was

singing a completely different tune when prime minister maliki at the time brought forth a case when president assad >> welcome back, everybody, david shoes center new york. we're continuing our coverage of the senate foreign relations committee. republicans on the panel have expressed deep skepticism that the administration policy to use airstrikes to help opposition forces on the ground to take out the islamic state. they are skeptical that that policy will work. >> we have in yemen, and in pakistan and other places. if you would have come here for that you would have had no problem from me. as far as the boots on the ground, who do you get to do it? we know the iraqis can't do. they dropped their guns and uniforms at went home at the

slightest bit of threat. with all due respect, i know everybody talks about the moderates opposition and the rebels, we've been through this for over a year, and i'm just not convinced that there is such a group there. when you said let's talk about this, and let's see if we can'nt come up with some way to do this, the best group offender for the boots on the ground are the kurds. they've been incredibly successful. they have been a reliable--they've been reliable to us. they're great fighters, if anyone is going to succeed on the ground it's going to be the kurds. have you given thought to partnering up with them? what am i missing here? >> well, you're not, senator. they've been extraordinary, and that was our first line of effort, obviously. that's why we put the joint operation center in erbil right away. that's why we are elicited them we needed to hold that line and

that's why the president was prepared to use strikes to guarantee that that happened. there is a huge flow of weaponry, as i said, 18 flights that i know of from us have gone in from erbil, there are other flights from other countries, too, the italians and other countries who have been supporting the kurds in this effort. i think this is the work that john allen needs a chance to develop a little bit, to see how it's going to go. the bottom line is the commitment growing the moderate opposition is on one way of coming at it. >> i appreciate that. that's encouraging to me to hear that you've engaged the kurds. with the little time i have left

i want to make certain of your testimony. you originally said when you're meeting with these other countries they've said, and i'm quoting you, what can we do to help? you also said that nobody has agreed to put boots on the ground, and then i think you said you haven't asked them to put boots on the ground. let me be clear about airstrikes. has anybody committed that they'll fly their flag again into syria? >> yes. >> and they are committed to do that? >> yes. >> okay, that's good and in the classified setting we'll get who those people are. >> yes. >> that is much more encouraging. thank you, and with that my time is up. thank you, mr. chairman. >> senator? >> well, secretary kerry, first of all, thank you for your incredible service. would you have stated, which expresses my view on the need

for international action against barbaric terrorist organization of isil that requires an international response. i think president obama has been effective particularly in the actions in iraq, the military strikes have been very effective in pulling back isil's advancements, and i think the president deserves credit for doing that, and certainly has my support. you've been effective in bringing about international coalition, and that's extremely important whenever we're involved in missions like this. it must include international presence. and you have been very clear that we will not have combat ground troops as part of this game. i support each of those statements. so i want to get back to the point that the chairman mentioned and about every one of us have mentioned in regards to the authorization of force. because i'm not clear what we

will do in syria, and i'm not comfortable yet as to what we will do in syria, and i'm looking forward to more information being made available to us. but my concern, i would really like to get your thoughts on >> an unbreakable will to live free. the people of ukraine stood up to the corruptor and stood their ground during this dramatic winter. more of you were together with us during the last winter, and i thank you for this very important gesture of solidarity. [ applause ] the defenders of freedom were willing to stack fies -- sacrifice their life for the sake of a better future. what is more amazing is they and we won.

armed with only sticks and shields, they attacked by the special police and chased them away. the victory gained from the independence square in kiev is known to the whole world, and it was a victory against police brutality, harassment by the state-controlled media, violence, intimidation. there's nothing more impressive than seeing hundreds of thousands of peaceful people forcing out a violent dictator and changing because of the history. the second time in our history. [ applause ] day after day thousands streamed into the streets of kiev because their dignity didn't allow them to remain passive and silent while their liberties were at stake.

the standoff lasted a long three months. it culminated on february 20th and 21st where over 100 protesters in one day were shot by snipers. we call them the heavenly 100. they are a true national hero, and we applaud they're he -- thr heroism. dear, ladies and gentlemen, in february when the world saw that no one could take away ukraine's freedom, an external aggressor decided to take away part of ukrainian territory. they are annexation of crimea is the most criminal act in the

modern history. i just want to direct your attention. ukraine, which gave up the third largest nuclear potential in exchange for the security assurance was stabbed in the back by one of the countries that gave her those special assurances. allow me to remind you 20 years ago, exactly 20 years the budapest memorandum, russia along with the united states, united kingdom, france and china vowed to provide for the availability of ukraine's border and territory sovereignty. in reality what we got was russia was annexation and a war that has brought ukraine to the brink of its survival. the soviet union has collapsed too quickly, creating the illusion that this chapter in history was closed and that

these stories have come to the end. unfortunately, in light of the people, it has not ended. the i am pemperiaimperialistic still there. it's been cultivating revisionist instincts. in 2008 russian troops occupied cities. and they now have invaded ukraine. the right to protect ethnic russians and russian speakers can and already has become a reason to fan the flames of war. besides ukraine, russian speakers reside now in moldova, georgia, kazakhstan, baltic states, poland, and even in germany. there's a big majority.

bulgaria, moldova, georgia, ukraine, who is next? many things including the effectiveness of the global system will be put under severe judgment depending on the response of america. of the whole world to this very simple question, if our allies are at risk to underline the point two days after president obama's visit to acetonstoniast. the day after he left, the officer was arrested and accused of espionage. the security assurance we extended to ukraine and have failed to work provided no agreements and containments can secure a world order. what can bring the peace, and what can maintain it? cooperation, interdependence,

leadership, and responsibility. this is the things that can defend the global security. so i urge you not to let ukraine stand alone in the face of this. [ applause ] thank you. and this is very important, that the whole world will see this gesture of solidarity. ukraine is not alone. we are together. we are united. and we will win, because we're fighting for freedom, fighting

for democracy. i absolutely have no doubt that our victory will be very close. i'm absolutely sure that the united states made a commitment that it would stand behind ukraine's territorial integrity, and we hope that it will live up to that promise. [ applause ] it is very simple. democracies must support each other. they must show solidarity in the face of aggression and adversity. otherwise, they will be eliminated one by one. the aggression against ukraine has become one of the worst setbacks for the course of

democracy in the world for years. with just one move the world has been thrown back in time to the reality of the territorial clai claims, criminal aggression, and annexation. can you imagine within two weeks crimea was invaded to the next? why? because ukraine simply was not prepared to this aggression. we were not prepared to face this enemy. that was exactly at a time of a revolution of dignity and the use of this opportunity without any doubt. post-war international system of checks and balances was effectively ruined. the world has plunged into the worst security crisis since the standoff in 1962. today we're witnessing another attempt of dividing the world. ukraine stands in the center of

this attempt. the outcome of today's war will determine whether we will be forced to accept the reality of the dark turn and be with europe as a part of the new world order. these ukrainian armies, imagine these young boys underequipped and often underappreciated by the world are the only thing that now stands between reality of the peaceful coexistence and the nightmare of falling into the previous century into the new cold war. ukrainian soldiers and ukrainian people and boys and girls on the front for freedom and democracy. they need your support. [ applause ]

thank you. this war isn't only the ukrainian war. everybody should understand that. it's europe's and america's war, too. it is the war for the free world. for the free world. today aggression against ukraine is a threat to global security everywhere. terrorism and national radical movements and erosion of agreements and the erasing of the national identities all challenge europe now. if they are not stopped now, they will cross the urpi iaia i european border and spread throughout the world. to prevent this thousands of ukrainian soldiers are in the line of fire exactly right now

when we have a so-called ceasefire. from the day that we start the ceasefire, ukraine lost 17 lives of the ukrainian soldiers, 67 are wounded. this is a ceasefire. this is the price ukraine now paid for the peace. speaking in the united states congress from this high beacon of freedom, i want to thank them for their sacrifice. every single one of them. [ applause ] thank you for the united states congress, and i urge the world to recognize and endorse the fight. they need more political support throughout the world. they need more military

equipment both lethal and non-lethal. ur urgently need it. [ applause ] please understand me correctly. blankets, night vision googles are also important, but one cannot win the war with blankets. even more, we cannot keep the peace with a blanket, and this is most important of our age not to win the war but keep the peace. for keeping the peace, we should be strong enough, and there is not any doubt that we will be strong because of you. because of our solidarity and

because of the very strong spirit of ukrainian soldiers. i thank all of those in america who realize and appreciate the historic importance of this fight. just like israel, ukraine has the right to defend her territory, and it will do so with all of her heart and dedication of your soul. [ applause ] i urge america to help us and to rise and to be equal to its natural and manifest role. i urge america to lead the way. ukraine has a special bond with the united states. today ukraine is taking shape as a partner in the region. this partnership is not

circumstantial. it has not come because we find ourselves in the same boat. it came about because in the moment of the crisis, ukraine's choice of the same as america. very simple. freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. in a time of europe's sweptism and russia's unprovoked hostility, ukraine citizens have been ready to give their lives to see ukraine democratic and free. circumstances can change. the nature of the people cannot. it is the nature of the ukrainian people to tolerate no dictators and to strive for their freedom no matter what. given today's situation, ukraine democracy will have to rely on their own strong army. in the upcoming years building a

strong military will be another test for ukrainian democracy. i see it in my utmost duty to rectify the damage down to the ukrainian military and to give ukraine a strong, modern army that we can be proud of. [ applause ] with this in mind i strongly encourage the united states to give ukraine a special security and defense status which reflects the highest level of interaction with non-nato allies.

i also ask that the united states be forceful and stand by its principle with the respect of further sanctions against the aggressor. economic sanctions are important to many reasons. they help to distinguish between good and evil. they help us to defend and stand the moral high ground and not to sink into their indifference, disgust and pragmatism. i understand it has taken a toll world and i understand that american citizens and taxpayers want peace and not war. so do ukrainian citizens and taxpayers. however, for a moment in history, those cannot be measured solely on the present

gdp growth. ukraine war is not only the war of the last decade that is purely about the values. the ukraine war is the war again for the freedom, democracy, european values, and the best evidence of that is the number of members of ukrainian par willment that fortified our association agreement with the european union. we decide to be free and democratic, and now the nation decides to punish ukraine for this. the world simply cannot allow this kind of behavior. [ applause ] this is the truth and the world and west will remind ukraine over the few years. now it is ukraine's turn to remind the world of these

truths. allow me also to say this. there's no way at no price and under no condition that we will ever put with the crimean occupation. it's not a condition of the full normalization 2002 the ukraine and russia, but it's for ukraine's monetarization. until it's fulfilled, i urge america and the world to stand united to send a signal of the aggressors of today and of the future that the policy and practice of annexation will never be tolerated.

and clearly, i'm not talking about the military solution of the crimean problem. this will be a dilemma for many years, a choice between two ways of life, two political, economic and social systems. i have no doubt in the long run the system that offers the greater freedom will prevail. it always does. [ applause ] dear ladies and ygentlemen it'sa time of challenge for ukraini s ukrainians. too many have given the ultimate sacrifice. let me share with you three human stories that illustrate my point. on march 3rd when the occupation of crimea just started, there was one man in a crimean city

who did the unthinkable. when millions felt paralyzed on what was unfolding before their eyes, this 39-year-old father of three decided not to be silent. this brave son of the crimean people went on a one-man protest in the front of the occupied city hall. he did nothing more than hold a sheet of paper that said, no to occupation. a group of unknown people arrested him, transported him away in the plain sight of the dozens of witnesses in front of their tv cameras. two weeks later he was found tortured and executed mafia style. just the thought of this man's final torment sent chills down my spine. i ask myself, what made this

hero do what he did? i can find no other answer than he did it for the freedom so his children would not face slavery like that dictatorship. i'm convinced in years from now when crimea occupation will belong to the past, the crimean people will think about what he did and salute his braveness just as i do now. [ applause ] i assure you that they will always stand together with the crimean tata people. those language, rights and culture are trampled upon the right now as they were many years ago under the soviet rule. i urge america and the world not to be silent about this crisis.

it is ukrainians and crimeans who have been oppressed in crimea right now. it is a time for all the people of goodwill to rephrase jhon kennedy's words from over 50 years ago. i'm crimean tata, and there is nothing that would make me give up my freedom. [ applause ] let me also commemorate another ukrainian hero. he was 42 years old and father of two and member of the municipal parliament of east ukrainian city of gorlov. on april 18th he confronted them over the separatist flag that they were trying to hoist atop the local administration building. exactly just like the other man, he was abducted and tortured.

his last hours must have been unthinkable. his body was badly mutilated. today i stand here after this tragedy and after the courage and sacrifice of this man and the courage and sacrifice of the millions of ukrainians from the bottom of my heart i deeply believe that there will be a time very soon when the central square will be named after him and when school children will bring flowers to his monument. [ applause ] make no mistake the choice is not between cities. neither is a choice between different kinds of civilization. it's a choice that's very

simple. it's between the civilization, and while standing at this jung tur before the great trial, the democratic cannot shrink or hesitate. we don't want to see all the democratic accomplishment to allow the case to be erased for nothing. the free world must stand its ground with america's help, and it will. yes, we live in a world that is mutually reliant and enter conne interconnected. this aggression is aggression against all of us. we fully understand that. if anyone had a doubt about this, if anyone was hoping to see it out while ukrainians and

russians continue to kill each other, this ended on july 18th when a russian missile was when it shot down malaysian flight mh17. 298 innocent, peaceful people, many of whom were flying on their vacation in the south, met their ultimate demise in ukraine. their cold-blooded killing like the barbaric treatment on their remains afterwards showed that whoever gives them millions of weapons puts millions of lives at risk for years. this was a brutal act of terror. unfortunately, it was this tragedy that gave a wake-up call

to many in the world about the situation in ukraine. long after wars end the fear and hate go on. how many more deaths will be caused by it handed out with absolutely no control or accountability in those regions? how many innocent children will step on land mines so massively utilizing by the separatists? how many lives will be ruined and so poisoned by the propaganda machine? the act of pumping the region full of uncontrolled arms represent the policy of the state-funded terrorism and it needs to stop now. [ applause ] the downing of the malaysian boeing elevated one most important thing. we are now at the forefront of the fight against the terrorists. we need to join our efforts to

effectively respond to this challenge. with this the people throughout the world are asking the same question, are we on the eve of a new cold war? is the possibility of the new terrible, unimaginable european war there? is what until recently seemed unthinkable now becoming a reality? sadly, today the answer to all of these questions is yes. however, we cannot and must not accept this as our inability and recently in 2008 the president of russia ran his election campaign under the slogan, freedom is better than no freed freedom, and it was in russia in the year 2008. i'm sure that despite the crimea annexation and ongoing aggression, millions of russians

still remember that slogan and take it seriously. please, let's remind them. let's show them that the freedom is not the luxury as some try to convince them but a necessity. the precondition for the true success of the nation. i'm convinced that the people of ukraine and people of russia have enough goodwill to give peace one last chance and prevail against the spirit of hate between our countries. [ applause ] that's why my presidency begins with a peace plan and one-sided ceasefire, which will last long in this. it's a very high price of the killing of ukrainian soldiers, hitting ukrainian planes and hundreds wounded. we keep this ceasefire on a long-term basis. unfortunately, this was not

accepted by russian separatists. that's why we are holding our -- that's why two armies stand before each other without doing it, and if things work out right, they will not have to. i'm in daily contact with leaders of the world, including the leader of russia. the dialogue is not easy, believe me. over these last months too much goodwill was destroyed. too much hate was generated naturally and artificially. too many people have died. based on that, i feel that there is growing mutual recognition that enough is enough and the bloodshed must stop. the pandemic of hate must be localized and contained. as a president looking in the eyes of the mothers and wives of the dead soldiers and civilians,

believe me, this is my hardest duty. no one can take it slightly. today it's my burden, and the burden of president putin. he lit a candle in moscow to remember those killed in this war last week, i did the same in kiev. and from the bottom of my heart i deeply, profoundly wish that the church candles would be the only thing to burn in ukraine for now. over the last months ukrainians have shown that they have the courage to stand up to the most powerful enemy. we will never obey or bend to the aggressor. we are ready to fight, but we are people of peace and we extend the hand of peace to russia and to the russian inspired separatists. i am ready to do my utmost to avoid further escalation and casualties, even at this point

when the war has already started feeding on itself. sooner or later, i'm absolutely sure peace will return to the ukrainian homes. despite the insanity of this war, i'm convinced that the peace can be achieved sooner rather than later and i'm ready to offer this more than any part of ukraine have ever had in the history of nations. i'm ready to discuss anything except one thing. ukrainians independence, ukrainian territorial integ knit and ukrainian sovereignty. [ applause ] i'm confident if this war is about the right and not about the geopolitical ambitions, the solution must and i'm sure will be found.

ladies and gentlemen, in 1991 independence came to ukraine at t very low cost and peacefully. today the cost is as high as it gets. while fighting this war we learn the value of independence and to recognize the true friends and at no point we ever forget why we need independence. we need it to have it for the dreams of our anxious. the state would give its sit sfwlen a life of dignity, fairness and equal opportunity. to reach this goal, we will have to root out ukraine's potential for such a long time and make for the case of independence and ties for the lost opportunities. we are painfully aware of this since it's largely inherited from the soviet union.

corruption, bureaucracy, and the self-preserving citizens of political elites. there is a saying that each people deserve the government it gets. ukrai ukraine shows that ukraine as a people is better, much better than the government. they show that ukraine needs and preserving deep and profound in this fear of the kind that brought economic success to poland. given the current situation in and around ukraine, the complement takings of the comprehensive reform is not a matter of ukraine succeeding but ukraine surviving. deeply aware of death, i give my pledge that i will stick with it. >> you're listening to ukrainian president petro poroshenko addressing a joint session of congress. i'm del walters in new york. he's telling those he's speaking

on behalf of 45 million people, we're going to take a short break and be right back.

i'm del walters in new york. you're looking at ukrainian president petro poroshenko beginning his address by telling those gathered it's impossible to imagine in his words what i am feeling right now saying that there is an important fight for the global fight for democracy. he said he was speaking on behalf of 45 million people about that struggle that began in ukraine 10 months ago. he went on to say that ukraine was stabbed in the back by russia when it took over crimea, and also pointing out that there are russian speakers in bulga a

bulgaria, georgia and germany. let's go to libby casey in washington, d.c. she's watching the speech. if there's one thing that both houses of congress can agree on it's that right now there's considerable anger at russia. >> reporter: absolutely, and support for ukraine. so many standing ovations and so much applause that this speech is going on in length because this is getting a lot of positive feedback from members of congress. there are particular things they're responding to. they are responding positively to when president poroshenko asks for things like support. he said while non-lethal support is helpful, lethal military aid is also essential to the ukrainian struggle. he said blankets and night vision googles are important and all well and good, but he said one cannot win a war with blankets, del. so the question, of course, is, will congress put their money where their applause is and actually give some financial aid, some real aid more than the u.s. has done so far for ukraine? >> libby, he also seemed to

indicate that he is aware that the united states and american public is very war-wary pointing out after ten years of war he understands their frustration but reminds those gathered that democracy is not free. >> caller: that's right. he urged america to lead the way, pointing out that he feels that is the role of the united states. he says that the aggression against ukraine by russia was one of the worst setbacks for the cause of democracy in the world in years. so he's trying to show that this is a larger problem, a global issues that extends beyond one country's border, del. >> he came to wash, libby, with hat in hand. he wants economic aid and wants military aid. eat he'll get those photo opes, but will he have something solid and concrete to take home? >> reporter: that's an excellent question, del. congress plans to adjourn as soon as the senate passes a spending bill that includes support for the president's plan

to fight the islamic state in iraq and levant. they're not talking about passing something to help with the ukrainian fight. even though the senate has a committee that brewed up a funding bill, that may get through committee today, but it won't get any farther than that. while the u.s. has put forward $60 million in non-lettal aid, the ukrainian leaders and others say it takes much more than the support from the imf and other international groups. will the white house step up and obligate themselves to anything? right now a lot is support in terms of emotional support, solidarity, but will they be able to give any more funds? there's the question if the aid can take a lethal form or if americans are far more comfortable with the non-lethal aid. >> thank you very much. a reminder that the microwave society we in is ever changing. you've been watching ukrainian president petro poroshenko addressing the congress.

i'm del walters. you're watching al jazeera america.

>> hello, and welcome to the news hour, coming up on the program, the number of people killed by the ebola outbreak continues to rise. liberia is the hardest-hit country, and we'll be speaking to the liberian information. >> you bring in boys and girls now on the front, for