you want to see something cool? xfinity rewards is how we go beyond saying thanks. so we're going to spread the joy this holiday season, the xfinity way. take your trusty sidekick to see puss in boots: the last wish what's a puss in boots? he is me. with buy-1-get-1 movie tickets, on us. in theaters now. join for free on the xfinity app. xfinity rewards. our thanks. your rewards. it is 4:00 eastern time here in gotham city. since around this time yesterday when we got the word the big-time pileup of history making headline news that we

expected to dominate this week is about to get a lot bigger, a lot timelier and world historical, the hush-hush visit of zelenskyy to washington, d.c., there has been a cinematic quality to the events unfoling. zelenskyy's arrival in d.c. to meet with joe biden at the white house, that's happening right now. then to address a joint session of congress at 7:30 p.m., it calls to mind a different kind of movie. it's not just the timing of the visit. his first foray outside of his country since the invasion started.

zelenskyy finds himself facing a rising tide of skepticism toward his cause in america and this country's spending to support it generating some significant hostility among many of the republicans about to take control of the house of representatives. that would make zelenskyy's mission here the stuff of high human, strategic and diplomatic drama. what makes it more surreal is the juxtaposition of zelenskyy and his mission with the other major story lines and characters, really one character, dominating the extraordinary news day. that character, duh, donald trump. we are now expecting to see the final report of the 1/6 committee tomorrow, after spending today waiting, waiting, waiting, for the hundreds upon hundreds of pages of that document. a document 18 months in the making which may amount to the legal framework for bringing

criminal indictments against a former u.s. president for the first time in american history. whatever new revelations that document holds, you are seeing an extraordinary split screen this week on one side donald trump, beset and besieged as never before, and someone whose assault on traditions and values is more obvious than ever, on the other side of the screen, zelenskyy, a man who emerged over the past year and a half as one of the most high profile, one of the greatest and one of the most inspiring champions of democratic values, norms and virtues that we have seen. that's where we start today with nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli on capitol hill, ali vitali also with us, plus retired general barry mccaffrey, now an msnbc military analyst and the

russian-born genius, julia iopi. mike, tell us what's going on down there at the white house where zelenskyy and biden -- we will hear from them jointly. we saw a photo spray earlier. they're going to do a press briefing at some point, maybe towards the end of the hour. give us a sense of what's happening in that building you cover so closely. >> reporter: at this point yesterday, washington still wasn't aware of what was about to happen. we learned late last night, confirmed in the overnight hours, that president zelenskyy would take this remarkable step, leaving his country for the first time in the 300 days since the invasion by russia into his country began, to visit with the white house and speak to speak to lawmakers tonight on capitol hill at an important potentially pivotal moment in this conflict. i think, one way to look at this event today and some of the

remarkable scenes we saw with the president in the oval office, with president zelenskyy receiving that medal, gifted to him by a ukrainian soldier, is as we head into the end of the year, sort of an exclamation point by the white house on what they feel has been anunder appreciated year. president biden defined his foreign policy by this idea that the 21st century is shaped by this battle between autocracy and democracies. in speaking with a white house official a few months ago, talked about the fact that this is really the most significant way perhaps since kennedy, a u.s. leader and russian leader going toe to toe, in this case with an active war. thus far, president biden having been largely successful in rallying our alliances, particularly nato, but also with other allies to leverage both security assistance for the

ukrainians, significant economic sanctions on russia to degrade not just the military ability but the prestige in the world. but this is an important moment to sustain that momentum as one white house official put it last night. we are heading into a new congress with think leadership, that's potentially not as kevin mccarthy has talked about giving that same blank check for the ukrainians. the understanding on the part of the president that the american people often can lose patience, can see continued efforts like today, an additional $2 billion, in support of an effort that's at the moment something of a stalemate and potentially president zelenskyy himself has warned about this, going to see a new significant russian offensive. both men today really praising one another, praising their respective countries for their courage, for their bravery and their steadfast support. this being an effort on the part of both presidents to sustain

that in an uncertain future. >> i will come back to you in a bit. we didn't know when the press conference would be. it is supposed to happen at 4:30. i wouldn't necessarily hold my breath that 4:30 is sharp in terms of when it will start. let's play sound of when they came out earlier today and did the photo spray at the white house. an exchange here -- there's no casual talk between these folks. zelenskyy is making a point right off the bat. let's watch this. >> great honor for me to be here. your journalists, thank you so much. >> we have a famous thing that occurs once a year. we pick man of the year on "time." you are the man of the year in the united states of america. welcome. we have a lot to talk about. >> first of all, i really -- all

my appreciation from my heart, from the heart of ukrainians, all ukrainians, from our strong nation, all the appreciation to you, mr. president, for your big support and leadership. you and many countries helped us and are helping now. >> the war is not over, clearly is not over, although some thought it would have been over a long time ago with russia having won element immediately. ali, give us a sense how this meeting came about. about this time yesterday, we started to hear murmurs. very hush-hush for a while. huge security issues with moving zelenskyy around. tell us about the back story and the mechanisms and the maneuvers that were undertaken to keep anyone from finding out until the last minute.

>> reporter: that's right. we started hearing about this 24 hours ago. it underscores what you are talking about, the security concerns both with the president leaving ukraine, coming here. we are starting to see the capitol begin to show signs of being locked down ahead of this address tonight. this joint session comes at a point where there's about to be a change in this building. congress has given billions of dollars in aid to ukraine. they have done so in bipartisan fashion. they are on the cusp of doing another omnibus funding bill today, tomorrow, before the end of the week, that would give $44 billion more in ukraine aid over the course of next year. once we get into next year and next congress, the dynamics really change here in this building in terms of what's happening on the senate, versus what's happening in the house. that's in large part because of house leader kevin mccarthy under pressure from many in his conference to not just continue

signing off on aid going to ukraine, despite the fact that you have got mitch mcconnell saying this is just basic american fundamentals to support other democracies like ukraine in the face of this russian aggression. those dynamics are going to be very much in play here. frankly, most of the sources i started talking to yesterday when this news was breaking said to me that they think this is just a moment of such importance as the change is happening in washington for zelenskyy to come here and not just express the gratitude that we heard him talking about when he was in the white house with president biden, but also to talk about what the actual tangible impacts have been on the ground so lawmakers and the american public can understand what their tax dollars are funding. that's something that republican senators have said is going to be really important and an important outgrowth of the joint meeting tonight. that's what many lawmakers have told me they are looking ahead to at this point. >> joe biden, when they get to

that joint session, he will have him talk to them. he gets to be face to face in front of them, reminiscent of churchill came to the united states during world war ii. he will have nancy pelosi and kamala harris behind him. general, we say i think rightly, that this is an important moment, all these moments are important when you are ukraine trying to fight off russia. tell us where we are when zelenskyy says the war is not over, that's right. where are we right now? why does this visit matter so much to the fate of ukraine's effort to fend off russia? >> i think in the larger context, we ought to remind ourselves the russians under putin in office for generations

have turned into an aggressor nation. it's syria. it's chechnya. it's georgia. it's 2014 seizure of crimea. now this massive military assault on a sovereign nation of ukraine. putin, unbounded, has become a threat to western europe and certainly to u.s. national interests. the biden team, lloyd austin, tony blinken, treasury, cia, have actually done a remarkable job pulling together a coherent strategy. they have resourced it. they brought together 40 contact nations. they have done a great job. the russians are now at check, not checkmate. i think there's another major offensive coming, probably in the spring, in which putin is strongarming belarus in

joining. we have to give ukraine the tools they need to defend themselves. this is a crucial time. u.s. domestic politics, you have summarized it nicely, this is a huge way to remind u.s. voters, our security is at stake also. >> julia, i mentioned a second ago there was the previous zelenskyy speech. i think it was watching him, he was at that point going around doing virtual addresses to a bunch of countries. you saw him almost every day, he gave a speech to the equivalent of a joint session in western european countries and canada. masterful. a different speech every day. understanding the history and culture in the countries. you started to realize, not only was he brave, rallying his people, but he really understood the modern media environment and was able to communicate in a way that was on a level with almost no one else on the global stage. here we have him tonight. talk about the ways in which

zelenskyy himself, just -- the ukrainians deserve a lot of credit. but he has been essential to the efforts and how you think he sees the important -- >> i think this has been one of the most remarkable stories of 2022, for zelenskyy to end this year -- let's just say, the way he started this year was as a deeply unpopular president. his ratings -- his approval ratings in ukraine were at 25%, 28%. he was a deeply unpopular president overseeing a corrupt and inefficient and ineffective government. it turned out that when russia invaded, it was exactly his skills that were necessary. his skills as a communicator, as someone who understands the media of mass communications,

television, social media, things like instagram, the various videos from kyiv early on in the war when russians were alleging that he had fled, which would be a devastating blow to the ukrainian government. right? it would allow -- it would have allowed the russian government to completely decapitate the ukrainian state. he did that famous video for instagram saying, i'm here, my prime minister is here, this other minister is here. some people said that deep tracks to show what a gangster he was. then to end this year as man of the year, it's a massive transformation. it shows that to be a president in a time of crisis in the modern era, you do need those communication skills. also, the spine to not run when

you have squads of fsb and chechens trying to hunt you down and kill you and your family, to not run, to stay and to fight for your people. again, the other thing i want to say is, ukraine has a very long and messy, checkered past when it comes to anti-semitism. a lot of jews in america, including myself, have roots in that part of the world, and they didn't live there anymore for that reason. the fact that a jewish president has unified a modern ukraine behind him, that he is now a national hero of ukrainians, is another absolutely remarkable turn and shows the extent to which ukraine is moving forward. unlike russia, is not beholding to its past. >> a point not often made enough and important about zelenskyy's role and anti-semitism in ukraine. mike, what's on the line is

the -- let's look. we have $44 billion package for ukraine. it's included in the $1.7 trillion government funding bill. $220 billion to arm ukrainian forces and replenish stockpiles. $12.9 billion to shore up ukraine's government and economy. $4 billion to help with the ukrainian refugees. $27 million for federal funding oversight. $675 million to expand. talk about the white house's view -- talk about the timing here, number one. number two, whether these things are pretty much given that democrats have control, these are on a fast track to get done and talk about how the white house sees the importance of the

measures. >> reporter: it's interesting in the white house as they sort of laid out the tiktok how this visit came to be. it was ten days ago that when president biden spoke by phone with president zelenskyy, they first discussed the possibility of this trip. it was only three days later that a formal invitation was extended. it was this sunday that president zelenskyy accepted that invitation and the wheels were set in motion to bring him here. i think as both of the countries have been working so closely with one another, a relationship that has been very close, but at times had tension. carol lee reported earlier this year that at one point president biden expressed frustration with zelenskyy as he kept publically calling for more and more assistance than at the time the united states was willing or able to do. president biden has appreciated the degree to which you have to mind the politics at home as well as the global politics and the ability to act in unison together. the timing of this is significant because i think both men understand the change that's happening here in congress, especially in this republican

party. i think it's worth reminding people of just the way in which ukraine has had a central role in our politics for the last few years. it was three years ago just this week, mind you, that the then president of the united states, donald trump, was impeached for trying to exert pressure on this very same president of ukraine. that dynamic within the republican party, i think, still exists and why you are seeing some republicans so resistant, thinking they could use ukraine against the president and try to bring some of the dollars back home. so both men here -- i think it was clear in their conversation in public today, understand that they still have a job to do to keep sustaining this support, to keep making it clear that the american people -- their interests are at stake here as well. mitch mcconnell of all people, the republican leader in the senate, said that explicitly in his argument for why we need to continue to do this. i was struck by the president of ukraine, zelenskyy, calling

president biden brave for what he has been able to do so far in support of ukraine. i was part of a small group of reporters that traveled into ukraine in may with jill biden, what was a surprise visit at the time. the first lady of ukraine said the same thing, that it was an act of bravery on the part of dr. biden to make that trip. i think both sides have really understood the domestic politics that are at play, beyond just the global strategic implications. >> when i mentioned this is a strange and surreal moment and cinematic, that history between trump and zelenskyy is part of it. for so many americans, zelenskyy was some tool that donald trump was trying to use. all of a sudden, he is "time's" man of the year. i'm glad joe biden did not mention that elon musk won that last year. general, i ask you about military assistance. how important is it?

what does it mean to the ukrainians? >> i think it's vital. without the support -- not just the united states, the 40 nations as a contact group, nato unified behind support the ukraine, i mean, we watch the admission of finland and sweden to join the other nato powers now, putin has frightened eastern europe and cautioned the big powers, germany, france and uk, that he remains a threat. ukraine is fighting their own battle for survival. but to a large extent, the interests of western europe and nato are also at stake. it's hard to overstate the mischief that would come if ukraine failed, among other things, china is watching this with a careful eye. we might set up aggression against taiwan in the next three years if they see hesitation on

the part of the democratic nations of the world to stand behind somebody fighting against a criminal invasion. a lot at stake for the americans, for western europe. i think so far, we still are going to have a bipartisan support to stand behind this. another thought, at the height of the iraq war, which didn't go too well for a variety of reasons, we had 150,000 troops in country. it was 10 to $12 billion a month we were spending on that operation. our support for ukraine is vital. but it's nowhere near the involvement we had in iraq or afghanistan. >> of course, one of the great diplomatic triumphs of the administration is they managed to keep the allies together on this and support the ukrainians and not expand the war, not put american boots on the ground and not have this turn into a nuclear chemical war yet, at

least. we will keep holding our breath on that front. everyone is sticking around. when we come back, that historic east room press conference, it's minutes away if it starts on time. we will move on to live coverage tonight of president zelenskyy's address to a joint session of congress. that starts at 7:00 p.m. here on msnbc. you want to be there for that. don't go anywhere. "deadline white house" continues after this message. essage what will you do? ♪ what will you change? ♪ will you make something better? ♪ will you create something entirely new? ♪ our dell technologies advisors provide you with the tools and expertise you need to do incredible things. because we believe there's an innovator in all of us.

i promise - as an independent advisor - to put the financial well-being of you and your family first. i promise to serve, not sell. i promise our relationship will be one of partnership and trust. i am a fiduciary, not just some of the time, but all of the time. charles schwab is proud to support the independent financial advisors who are passionately dedicated to helping people achieve their financial goals. visit findyourindependentadvisor.com

once upon a time, at the magical everly estate, landscaper larry and his trusty crew... were delayed when the new kid totaled his truck. timber... fortunately, they were covered by progressive, so it was a happy ending... for almost everyone. we are back with mike memoli

and ali vitali, general mccaffrey. there's a shot of the east room as we wait for this press briefing that we are eagerly anticipating. we will see. we are basically three hours away from the joint session of congress where people are starting to file into the hall. that's representatives down there, the ukrainian delegation dignitaries have not yet arrived. others are starting to mill around in the well of the house. we are talking a second ago before we went to break about the diplomatic skill, the savvy, what joe biden and his team have mustered so far. day 300 yesterday in the ukraine war. ukraine is bracing for a larger russian offensive in the days and weeks to come. vladimir putin issued a warning today where he said more u.s. military aid to ukraine would

aggravate the conflict, told military leaders to analyze the western weapons. he said, we will continue with our nuclear triad. give us a sense of what you think -- as much as you are an expect on ukraine, you are an expert on russia, on vladimir putin's russia. i noted the nuclear triad. what are things like in russia in terms of the support for the war and putin's grip on power in that country? >> it's hard to know what the support is like for the war given the fact that not only is the media space firmly controlled, but now open dissent against the war is criminalized. you can go to jail for discrediting the russian armed

forces. saying anything about -- anything negative about the armed forces. there have been people who have been sent to jail for far less. it's hard to know when a stranger calls you, like a pollster, whom you don't know, calls and asks what you think about the war, would you be dumb to say, i don't like it. numbers have flipped. a majority of russians now prefer -- seem to prefer peace negotiations. not because they are concerned that their countrymen are slaughtering innocent ukrainians and destroying their cities but because the russians aren't winning and the mobilization -- the draft, essentially, is affecting them personally. as for putin's hold on power, i think it remains stronger than ever. everybody who has ever opposed him is either in jail or outside

of the country. everybody who has ever protested him is outside of the country. we know that over 1 million russians have fled. that's basically everybody who would come into the streets to protest. they are all gone. they are outside of russia's borders, which is great for putin. as for the nuclear threat, that's very clearly not a sign of strength but a sign of desperation. to start -- to go back to where you started from, you know, this talk that putin is seeing military aid to ukraine as an aggravator or as something of an accelerator to the war, he is saying this as he -- as general mccaffrey noted, he is quietly strong arming belarus into allowing russian troops to stay in belarus, to having them accept missile systems on their

territory. lukashenko has been trying to wiggle out of this for ten months and to not use -- not allow belarus to be used as a staging ground for an invasion of ukraine from the north. but it looks like that runway is getting shorter. vladimir putin would do that no matter what kind of arms we send. i don't think we should buy into this and let him scare us more than necessary. >> i'm going to come back to you, general. yesterday was day 300. i know you can't predict the future, because you know that prediction is always difficult, especially about the future. i would like you to tell me what you think the plausible scenarios for how long you think this war might go on on the current trajectory it's on. a war that could go on for years into the future? is there an end game that could play out in the coming few

months? >> look, i think there's a couple of certainties we know about. one is, putin's personal survival is at stake in this war. he was the only one to get this thing goes against the advice of his inner circle. it has gone extremely badly for him. he will not, could not possibly back off it. i don't believe he would be foolish enough to employ nuclear weapons. it makes no sense whatsoever. so there's one certainty. the second certainty, i think, is that the west will support ukraine and that putin has essentially already lost the strategic engagement. there's no way he will now capture the whole black sea coast, odessa. i don't believe it's possible for him to seize the capital kyiv. there are the two things we do know. in the short run, ukrainian tactical initiatives have beaten

the pants off the russians. i had no idea the russian idea was incompetent, badly led. the brutality of their battalions, that wasn't putin. that was the nature of the russian army. they're not doing very well. tactically, they're not going to do very well. he can't rebuild this military in time. what he can do is throw more people at it. i would anticipate it will be a wall of resistance inside russia. he has to generate more conscripts to feed into the war. he is trying to strongarm lukashenko. the russians have a spring offensive coming. they are an adaptive enemy. putin is desperate. he will tell them, keep going after, seizing all of ukraine.

>> not mincing any words there. ali, i want to come to you. part of the reason i asked the general, i knew it would be impossible to predict when the war will end, but it doesn't look like it's any time soon. i want to play chuck schumer here making comments earlier today in the senate that goes to a question that we have been kicking around but not having landed on directly here, which is the new cast of characters with power on capitol hill and what it might mean for the conflict when republicans are in charge. let's watch schumer and talk about it on the other side. >> i hope all house republicans will attend the zelenskyy address this evening. when they do, they should listen to president zelenskyy describe the horror his people have endured at the hands of vladimir putin. i hope that donald trump's friendship with putin is not motivating house republicans to turn a blind eye to ukraine's suffering and desperate need for

help. >> it's never a chuck schumer floor statement if his phone doesn't ring in the middle of it. no one has been able to teach that man about the mute button. i hope the republicans show up. there never would have been a question about whether republicans would show up. the fact that we have to urge them to show up is crazy. i do think this is the question. the general says, there are republicans who will waiver. broadly, you will have bipartisan support. how much resistance is there to continuing a robust u.s. aid effort in this incoming congress? how much is the isolationist instinct on display in what is now the republicans in control of the lower chamber? >> reporter: the fact that schumer has to say that is a commentary on where republican politics are, especially in this

post-trump era. trump came to prominence with an american first mentality that much of the republican conference on the house side has adopted. it's informing any number of them reticent about continuing to give aid. it doesn't have to be widespread within the gop conference for it to make a difference, especially because of how tight the margins are. the fact that mccarthy, if he actually manages to become speaker, getting the votes he needs a few weeks from now, but if he manages to become speaker, that might end up looking like the easy part on whether it's funding to ukraine or funding broadly, any of the number of things the republicans are going to have to contend with are won or lost based on the votes of four or five people. it doesn't even have to be that many of them that object to giving more funding to ukraine in future packages. i think also what schumer

underscores is that this address in person sways people who may have any hesitancy about continuing the funding. mccarthy did speak with senators today. he said he would meet with zelenskyy before, but that he would be attending this speech. they will be there. i think that that is really the central focus here on capitol hill is, will this change hearts and minds, the fact that zelenskyy is taking risk in coming out of his country, coming to the united states here at this point in the war, at a point where they are getting more funding next year, but given the fact that this is going to be a long conflict with, as we have been unable to predict here, of course, whether the end will be, there is a desire to make sure that that funding will still be an open channel. that's what my sources keep underscoring here today. >> mike, you and i both have known joe biden a long time. we know how seriously he takes himself as a statesman, former

chairman of the foreign relations committee, been involved in international affairs since before some of you were born. he looks on to this republican house and sees a moment in october when kevin mccarthy, having had a little chat with marjorie taylor greene, announces, we're not going to have a blank checkbook for ukraine. it was clear mccarthy was placating marjorie taylor greene because he knew he would need those votes. what does joe biden think about that? what does this president think of a world in which republican foreign policy could be dictated by marjorie taylor greene? >> reporter: i'm thinking back ten years ago when you and i spent a lot of time on the road with then vice president biden as he was leading an underappreciated effort on behalf of the obama ticket to secure a second term. one line he would use as he was condemning the opponent at the

time, mitt romney, was this is not your father's republican party. think of what he was saying back then ten years ago and compare that to what he thinks now about the republican party. mitt romney, who he was the lead attack dog in the campaign, has been one of the closest allies that this white house has had on the republican side of the i'll, at least an openness to work with them on foreign policy and domestic policy in some key areas. the rest of the caucus has just gone in a way that even the president has expressed publically his befuddlement what happened. this is someone who worked with john mccain. to see what has happened to the party now, i think, is something that he is reckoning with. by the way, it's been something that i think there are some advising the white house to not take chances in the new republican majority, that the white house seems to be willing to at the moment. obviously, on this ukraine package, by passing this

legislation, they will be funded with the hope that it will extend to the life of the package through the end of next september. the debt ceiling, they were able to -- despite close to the line, raised republican opposition. this is not a republican party that i think a lot of democrats feel can be trusted to do the basic and essential aspects of governing. that makes it more difficult. president biden talked about world leaders who have expressed concern about, america is back now, with you in the white house. for how long? that was a big recurring theme of president macron's visit recently when he was here at the white house. there's another dynamic here as well, i think, that's worth mentioning at the risk of encroaching on ali's beat on capitol hill and with a nod to her excellent book. i will plug it. something else to watch tonight is speaker pelosi.

this is one of the final acts of her eight years as speaker of the house. as we contrast what kevin mccarthy might bring to the table as a republican speaker of the house, it's worth noting that this is something of a moment for speaker pelosi, who has been a steadfast partner for this white house on foreign policy as well as domestic policy. we have seen memorable moments from her. this is an important moment for her tonight as well. >> that's the ukrainian delegation walking into the east room right now. we may be getting closer to this now ten-minute delayed press briefing. mike, i was going to say, i would hesitate to predict or try to read joe biden's mind about what he would say about the republican party where foreign policy is dictated by marjorie

taylor greene, but would be salty and spicy, i think. i would say, just to give the proper plug to ali's book, "electable, why america hasn't put a woman in the white house yet." it makes a fantastic present. available at amazon.com. here comes the u.s. delegation. anywhere you can buy a book you can buy ali's book. there's the defense secretary. there's tony blinken. there's mark milley. there's merrick garland and samantha power coming in to take their seats. generally, that means we're about to get going. we were going to take a break. not now. it looks like we're about to get underway with this really quite extraordinary -- you can't say it too many times. zelenskyy, for 300 days has been fighting a war against russia, a war that i would say pretty much unanimously people thought he would lose inevitably. many people thought he would lose quickly.

the ukraine was no match for russia. russia would crush the ukrainians, take kyiv and it would be over by memorial day, in american terms, maybe last until the end of the spring, maybe middle of the summer. it would never be 300 days. and yet, ukraine fought this extraordinary -- resilient, courageous, scrappy, tough fight against russia. seems to have had almost a kind of -- an extraordinary insight into the weaknesses of the russian military to capitalize on those. julia, this moment right here for zelenskyy, we talked about his communication skills. we have two minutes before they are about to start. that's what we have to fill. he is a great communicator. there's some people in ukraine who say the biggest problem in

ukraine is attention fatigue. ukrainians are taking their eye off the ball. this is a way for him to shake them as well as americans. do you have a sense that's correct? >> i don't know that they have attention fatigue when they don't have electricity and running water and heat in the middle of the winter. it's kind of hard to not pay attention when you are constantly at risk of being bombed and killed inside your home. i do want to go back to something mike mentioned before and ali mentioned. there was an interesting survey that came out today from the chicago council. it broke down changing support for ukraine and how to support ukraine based on -- it broke it out by party registration or party affiliation. what was so interesting was that the lowest support for ukraine in terms of any kind of support

for ukraine, whether it be financial, whether it be diplomatic/economic sanctions, military support, was actually among republicans. independents and democrats were 20 points ahead of republicans. >> people are standing up. we are about to have showtime here. there's zelenskyy leading the way. joe biden. they are taking their place at the podium. let's listen. >> president zelenskyy, i'm honored to welcome you back to the white house. we spent an awful lot of time on telephone as well as on video. it's good to see you in person again. we have been in close and frequent communication throughout this conflict, from the very beginning. particularly meaningful to talk in person, look each other in

the eye, because leadership through this terrible crisis inspired the ukrainian people, as you have done, mr. president, and the american people and the world. this visit to washington, your first trip outside ukraine since february, comes as president putin is escalating his brutal attacks, targeting infrastructure to make life as hard as possible for not only innocent ukrainians but children and young children and everything from orphanages to schools. it's outrageous what he is doing. as we heard -- as we head into the new year, it's important for the american people and for the world to hear directly from you, mr. president, about ukraine's fight and the need to continue to stand together through 2023. this falls on the 300-day mark of russia's brutal invasion of ukraine. 300 days since putin launched an

unprovoked, unjustified all-out assault on the free people of ukraine. 300 days of ukrainian people showing russia and the world their steel backbone, love of country and their unbreakable determination. i emphasize unbreakable determination to choose their own path. ukrainian people, i say to them all, you have demonstrated, you have shown your strong stand against aggression in the face of the imperial appetites autocrats who believe they can it might. they have stood alone. you have had significant help. you will never stand alone when ukraine's freedom was threatened, the american people, like generations of americans before us, did not hesitate.

the support from all across this country, americans of every walk of life, democrats and republicans alike, had the resources to rebound and resounding united way to provide unequivocal and unbending support for ukraine. because we understand in our bones that ukraine's fight is part of something much bigger. the american people know that if we stand by in the face of such blatant attacks on liberty and democracy and the core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the world would face worse consequences. as i said when putin rolled his tanks into ukraine in february, american people are prepared to have us stand up to bullies, stand up for freedom. that's who we are as americans. that's exactly what we have done. even before the invasion began

and putin threatened ukraine by building up forces, we helped make sure ukraine would be prepared, even before they crossed into ukraine. provided defenive weapons, including air defense systems and artillery, ammunition and so much more. we have not done it alone. from the very beginning, the united states rallied allies and partners from around the world to stand strong with ukraine and impose unprecedented -- i emphasize, unprecedented sanctions and export controls on russia, making it harder for the kremlin to wage this brutal war. more than 50 nations have committed nearly 2,000 tanks and another armored vehicles, more than 800 artillery systems, more than 2 million rounds of artillery ammunition and more than 50 advanced multiple rocket launching systems.

anti-ship and air defense systems to strengthen ukraine. together, we provided billions of dollars in direct budgetary support to make sure the ukrainian government can keep providing basic fundamental services to the people like health care, education and emergency personnel. this includes another $2 billion in direct budget support from the american people that the world bank distributed earlier this week. we provide humanitarian assistance to help millions of ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes because of putin's inhumane, brutal war. communities across europe have opened their hearts and their homes to help ukrainians in need. to help ukrainians in need. the united states is proud to welcome more than 221,000 ukrainians seeking refuge since march of 2022 including as part of uniting for ukraine, as part of our united for ukraine program.

and today usaid is committing more than $374 million in urgent humanitarian assistance for ukraine. this will provide food and cash assistance for more than 1.5 million ukrainian people as well as access to health care, safe drinking water, and help stay warm in the winter for more than 2.5 million ukrainians. the united states and our allies and partners around the world have delivered a broad range of assistance and it is critical to bolster the success so far. ukraine won the battle of kyiv, has won the battle of karkhiev. and president zelenskyy, you have made it clear that he is open to pursuing -- let me put

it this way, he's not open, but you're open to pursuing peace. you're open to pursuing a just peace. we know that putin has no intention, no intention of stopping this cold war. and united states is committed to ensuring that the brave ukrainian people can continue, continue to defend their country against russian aggression as long as it takes. i want to thank the members of congress and for their broad bipartisan support to ukraine. i look forward to signing the omnibus bill soon which includes $45 billion, $45 billion in additional funding for ukraine. i'll also sign into law the national defense authorization act which includes authorities for to make it easier for the department of defense to procure critical munitions and defense materials for ukraine and other key materials to strengthen our national security.

today, i'm announcing the next traunch of our security assistance to uk $1.85 billion package of security assistance includes both the direct transfers of equipment to ukraine and contracts to supply ammunition ukraine will need in the months ahead for its artillery and tanks, and rocket launchers. critically, in addition to these new capabilities, like precision aerial munitions, the package includes a patriot missile battery which will train ukrainian forces to operate as part of the on going effort to help bolster ukraine's air defense. this is going to take some time to complete the necessary training. but patriot battery will be another critical asset for ukraine as they defend themselves against russian aggression. all together, today's new security assistance with humanitarian funding amounts to $2.2 billion in additional support for the ukrainian

people. we should be clear about what russia is doing. it is purposely attacking ukraine's critical infrastructure. destroying the systems to provide heat and light to ukrainian people during the coldest, darkest part of the year. russia is using winter as a weapon. freezing people, starving people, cutting them off from one another. it's the latest example of the outrageous atras -- atrocities against women, children, and families. the united states is working together with our allies and partners to provide critical equipment to help them making emergency repairs to the grid in the face of russia's targeted attacks. we're also working to hold russia accountable including efforts in congress that will will make it easier to seek

justice for russia's war crimes in ukraine. let me close with this. tonight is the fourth night of hanukkah. a time when jewish people around the world honor the timeless miracle of a small band of warriors fighting for their values and their freedom against the much larger foe and how they endure and how they overcame. how the flame of faith with only enough oil for one day burned brightly for eight days. a story of survival and resilience that reminds us that the coldest days of the year that light will always prevail over darkness. and hope drives away despair. and that, human spirit is uncomparable and long as there are good people willing to do what is right. this year brought so much needless suffering and loss to

the ukrainian people. i want you to know, president zelenskyy, i want you to know, all the people of ukraine to know as well, the american people have been with you every step of the way and we will stay with you. we will stay with you for as long as it takes. what you're doing, what you achieved, it matters not just to ukraine but to the entire world and together i have no doubt we'll keep the flame of liberty burning bright and the light will remain and prevail over the darkness. thank you for being here, mr. president. we're going to stand with you. >> thank you. >> translator: dear, mr. president, please put on equipment. once again, mr. president, president biden, audience, journalists, ladies and gentlemen, i came here to the

united states to to thank the people of america, people who will do so much for ukraine. i am thankful for all of this visit to the united states became really a historic one for our relations with the united states and the american leadership. in the last 30 days of this war, we have started a new phase of our interrelations with the united states. we became a real partners and allies with the content and i felt today during all of my meetings and during our talks once again i would like to thank mr. president, president biden for his support in what is very important the understanding of ukraine and for the support of the international coalition to strengthen international law.

i am grateful to president biden for his personal efforts, his steps that unite the partners and global when all countries of the world take some position and are focusing on cooperation and mutual understanding, this is very useful for all of the countries, for ukraine and the united states. i want to thank the congress for bipartisan support and i am looking forward to good meetings with the members of the congress and their support. this is the visit that i'm here today to meet with the congress. the main issue during my today's talks is to strengthen ukraine next year. our movement forward to fight

for our freedom and independence. i have good news returning home. president biden announced a new package of defense support about $2 billion and the strongest element of this package is the patriots battery systems, something that will strengthen our air defense significantly. this is a very important step to create secure airspace for ukraine. and that's the only way we will be able to deprive the terrorists country and their terror attack to strike our energy sector, our people and our infrastructure. we had a very good negotiation and talks about our strategic steps which we discussed with president biden and what we expect next year and what we are preparing. this is very important for all

ukrainians and i'm hopeful and once again, thank you, mr. president, for $45 billion because this is a big assistance. i hope that the congress will approve this financial assistance for our country. this is almost $45 billion. thank you very much for the support. every dollar of this investment for the united states is going to be strengthening of global security. i know that the american leadership will be strong and will play important role in global scope. and the united states will help us to defend our values and independence. and regardless of changes in the congress, i am believe that there will be bipartisan and bicameral support. i know everybody works for this. of course, during all my meetings today, we discussed

issues of send off against terror of russia, their destruction of our energy infrastructure. we need to survive this winter. we need to protect our people and we need to be very specific in this area. this is a key humanitarian issue for us right now. this is the survival issue. we are discussing sanctions and legal pressure on the terrorist country of russia. russia needs to hold -- to be held accountable for everything it does against us and against our people and europe eastern the whole free world. and it is very important that we have peace formula and for that we offer very specific steps what america can do to help us to implement them. we propose formula for peace summit. i'm thankful for our american counterparts that they feel us

and understand how important it is to continue and stay on course and work on integrity of the country and international rule of law. we will also need as soon as our defense capabilities will be strengthened in the next few months, i don't want to discuss it in details right now. i believe you understand why. but i'm very grateful to president biden. thank you for your attention to all of these issues. glory to ukraine. >> thank you very much, mr. president. we'll take questions from four different reporters. i'm going to start with alex of yahoo news. >> thank you, mr. president. 2022 you presided over a bup coalition to support ukraine. how will you keep that coalition from fraying in 2023.

president zelenskyy, welcome to washington on this beautiful winter day. what is your message to the american people? >> to answer your question first, i'm not at all worried about holding the alliance -- >> no, sir. >> i assume this is simultaneous? all right. okay. i never seen nato or the eu more united about anything at all. and i see no sign of there being any change. we all know what is at stake here. our european partners all the more so. they fully understand it. this is about -- we have never seen a major invasion of a european country since world war ii. and they see no signs of it -- that putin is going to do

anything to change that. sovereignty is at stake. putin thought he would weaken nato. instead, he strengthened nato. we talk about he wanted to see the, you know, the europe and end up being divided. and instead what did he do? he produced a more united europe with sweden and finland joining. so i don't see any reason to believe there will be any investing of support. and as we reach out to our nato allies, our secretary of defense and secretary of state, we can get continued support not only there but also from around the world from japan and many other countries as well. so i feel very good about the solidarity of support for ukraine. >> thank you for your question. thank you very much. you ask me whether -- they're

important for me. and i think so that we have the same values and the same understanding of the life, the sense of the life. my message, i wish you peace. i think that the main thing and you understand it around the war in your country when somebody like these terrorists from russia come to your houses. and i wish you to see your children alive and adult. and i wish you to see your children and they go to universities. and to see their children. i think that is the main thing what i can wish you and, of course, to be together with us jointly. because we're really fight for our common victory against this

tyranny that is real life. and we will win. and i really want win together. thank you so much. not once. the sorry. i'm sure. >> call on one of your people? press person? >> thank you. president zelenskyy and president biden. firstly, ukraine and i mean it, i want to thank the united states for supporting my country and, you know, my family is in ukraine. i definitely understand they'll not be alive today if america will not support my country both politically and militarily. so thank you for this. >> you're welcome. >> and as of my question, we enter a new phase of the war. you discuss today which of the

two, how the war could come to an end and what is next. will it turn into a counter offensive or peace talks? mr. biden, could you share your vision? what is the fairway to end this war and how do you understand this war being peaceful? thank you. >> my view? >> your guy. >> i see. >> i like him very much already. >> translator: we have started this question. >> i'm sorry. sometimes i switch to my native language. >> translator: you have started by stating that your family is in kyiv and without the assistance of the united states, this is absolutely true. the u.s. leadership in this

assistance is strong and again, i would like to remind you that your family will be in danger without the armed forces of ukraine. which is very important. what concerns your question per se what would you like to hear? just peace? i don't know. i don't know what just peace is. it's a very philosophical description. if there is just war, i don't know. for all of us, peace, just peace is different. for me, as a president, just peace is no compromises as so the sovereignty, freedom and territorial integrity of my

country, the pay back for all the damages inflicted by russian aggression. i'm sorry, i'm reminding -- i'm talking about children a lot today. but as a father, i would like to emphasize, you know how many -- how many parents lost their sons and daughters on the front lines. so what is just peace for them? money is nothing. and no compensations or reparations are of no consequence. they live by revenge. i think this is tremendous tragedy. and the longer the war lasts, the longer this aggression lasts, there will be more parents would live for the sake

of vengeance or revenge. i know a lot of people like that. so they can't be any just peace in the war that was imposed on us by these -- i don't know how to describe that. because we are in the white house. and i can't find the proper language. so these inhumans, i would say. >> let me respond. i think we have -- we share the exact same vision. and that a free independent prosperous and secure ukraine is the vision. we both want this war to end. we both want it to end. and as you've said, it could end today if putin had any dignity at all and did the right thing and just said pull out. but that's not going to happen. not going to happen. it's not going to happen now. so what comes next? we talked about it today. we're going to continue to help ukraine succeed on the

battlefield. it can succeed on the battlefield with our help. and the help of our european allies and others. so the if and when president zelenskyy is ready to talk with the russians, he will be able to succeed as well because he will have won on the battlefield. and, you know, i don't think we should underestimate the impact this war is having on russia. and the losses their suffering. and you saw just you think two days ago putin saying that this is much tougher than he thought. he thought he could break nato. he thought he could break the west. he thought he can break the alliance. he thought he could be welcomed by the ukrainian people that were russian speaking. he was wrong, wrong, wrong. he continues to be wrong. the sooner he makes -- it's clear he can not possibly win this war, that's when the time we have to put this president in a position to be able to decide

how he wants to go forward. must turn, huh? >> yeah. phil mattingly of cnn. >> thank you, mr. chairman. welcome, mr. president. to start with you, mr. president, your advisors talk about how important you view face-to-face interaction. i wonder after spending two plus hours with president zelenskyy, what you learned or what you took from the meeting that perhaps you couldn't glean or learn in the phone calls or video conferences? and somewhat tied to that, was there any discussion related to the u.s. assessment that russia would not take action now that patriots are being delivered? >> let me answer the first question. the first part of the question. you know i get kidded for saying all politics is personal. it's all about looking someone

in the eye. i don't think there is any, any, any substitute for sitting down face-to-face with a friend or a foe. and looking them in the eye. and that's exactly what happened at this moment. we've done that more than once. we're going to continue to do it. and the winter is setting in. putin is increasingly going after civilian targets. and women and children, orphanages. this guy is -- well -- but he's going to fail. and he's going to fail because he now knows that there is no way he's ever going to occupy all of ukraine. there is no way in which he'll be accepted by the ukrainian people. and so he's failed in the past and it is very important for him and everyone else to see that president zelenskyy and i are united, two countries together to make sure he cannot succeed. and i think i may be mistaken, but i know i judge every meter

by the way that what they say to me and the consistency and look them in the eye. this guy is to his very soul is who he says he s he is willing to give his life for his country and all the folks that came with him today. so i think it's important for him to know we're going to do everything in our power, everything in our power to see that he succeeds. >> thank you. >> what was the second part of your question? >> did you discuss how the u.s. calculated the he is cla torre effect of sending a patriot? >> i didn't discuss with that president. it's a defense you have stum. it's a do you have you have weapons system. it's not escalating. we would love to not have them use it. just stop the attacks. >> president zelenskyy, welcome.

mentioned earlier that you wanted to make this trip for a while now. why now? and also, can you tell me what you think the message you are sending to president putin is given the fact that 24 hours ago you were on the ground in the front lines with artillery echoing behind you and now you find yourself in the white house standing next to the president? >> translator: thank you very much for your question. as to what is the message for putin? i am standing here in the united states with president biden on the same podium because i respect him as a person, as a president, as a human being for his position.

this is a historic moment. can you send messages to president biden. you say what is going to happen after patriots are installed? after that, we will send another signal to president biden. that we would like to get more patriots. >> we're in the war. i'm very sore you. i'm very sorry. that is my appreciation. as for president putin in, 2019, we had a normandy meeting in 2019. i became the president of ukraine at that time. we were sending maximum messages to president putin. telling him that there shouldn't be a full scale invasion to start aggression to renew our territorial integrity.

find diplomatic solution. god forebud we should not have a full scale war. athat time he said it won't happen. he was lying. so what kind of message i can send him after he actually destroyed our life, is destroying our life? he can't even go further. somewhere the soviet union state before this. he might want to invade those territories. i believe there is something mortal about his inadequate approach to the world. why we need to send him a message? he needs to be interested in getting attention from the world. because he's not a subject of civilized people. he should be trying to save something of his culture and history of his country. that's his problem now.

>> this will be the last question. >> the u.s. officials said that ukraine cannot receive papers. now it is happening right now. today it is happening. and now ukraine desperately needs more capabilities including a long range missile. maybe i sound naive. but can we make long story short and give ukraine all capabilities it needs and liberate all territories around sooner than later? thank you. >> his answer is yes. >> i agree.

>> let me be straight forward. look, the fact is that it's important to remember that before russia invaded, we had dedicated an enormous amount of security assistance to ukraine. and we have given ukraine what they needed, when they needed to defend themselves. there is an invasion of more than $20 billion in terms of security assistance. and just today i approved $1.8 billion in additional assistance to ukraine to succeed on the battlefield. we're working on allies and partners to generate capability in four key areas. air defense, as we know today, the patriot is the best of that. secondly, is to -- and we're looking to do more we provided

hundreds of advanced artillery systems and dozens of countries. we work with partners to get tanks and other vehicles and we announced at 200,000 rounds of additional ammunition. you say why don't we give ukraine everything there is to give? two reasons -- one, there is an entire alliance critical to stay with ukraine. and the idea that we would give ukraine material that is of fundamentally different than is already going there would have a prospect of breaking up nato and breaking up the european union and the rest of the world. we're going to give ukraine what they need to succeed. the other piece of this, one of the reasons i've spent -- woint -- i won't tell you the calculation, but i spent several

hundred hours with our european allies and heads of state of those countries and making the case as to why it is overwhelming their interest that they continue to support ukraine. they understand it fully. but they're not looking to go to war with russia and not looking for a third world war. i think we can all be avoided by making sure that the ukrainians are able to succeed on the battlefield. anyway, there is more to say. but i probably already said too much. thank you. thank you all very, very much. appreciate your time and attention. and as i said, mr. president, you don't have to worry. we are staying ukraine as long as ukraine is there. thank you all. >> thank you so much. >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats until the official delegations have departed. >> and there they go. president biden, president zelenskyy concluding that little

media conference in the white house. notably, the two of them seeming extraordinarily friendly. a lot of chemistry. joking among the two of them. they seem as if they were old friends in the way they were connecting. a lot of confidence expressed by joe biden about his ability to deliver over the coming months and years. no real worry about the ability for him to keep giving ukraine, securing for ukraine the aid. he said toward the end, the last answer, we're going to give ukraine what it needs. what it needs to defend itself and what it needs to win. zelenskyy and biden seem very much on the same page. not surprisingly maybe. but sd of a show of force, a show of alliance there that has to be the message that zelenskyy wants to send back to his own country but to the rest of the western alliance and adversaries in russia. listening along with us has been general barry mccaffrey. he was on us with earlier.

also, a former adviser to president zelenskyy and mikey cheryl of new jersey. and veteran. she introduced the resolution to bring president zelenskyy to the capitol today. congressman cheryl, i want to start with you. what stood out for you from that session with the press, the two presidents? >> well, i think you're right. the friendship between the two in such a short time stood out. i think that shows that zelenskyy has seen how hard we are working to provide him with munitions he needs. as you know, this will be the first time we give the ukrainians a patriot battery. they've been asking for that for a very long time. so we are continuing to work to meet them, meet the demands that they have to continue the fight. i think in large part because of how impress you have the ukrainians have been on the ground and truly how horrible the russians have been as they continue to target sufficient

-- continue to target civilians and women and children and hospitals. we see a support for our democratic ideals. we've seen the unity of the allied nations and nato and our european allies staying together. i just returned this morning from norway and finland. one of our oldest nato allies. and then hopefully soon one of our newest nato allies both with borders to russia. how important this fight is not just because of the ukrainian territory but also for global democracies around the world. >> congresswoman, i -- i wonder whether you have -- would you share the kind of projection of confidence? the confidence joe biden projected despite the fact there is new majority in the house of representatives, the fact that republicans are going to be taking control just next month and there are -- there is skepticism among our

republicans, sometimes more skepticism, hostility toward the notion that the united states continuing to have what they call an open checkbook for ukraine. joe biden didn't seem the least bit phased by. that -- by that. are you? >> there is real skepticism among republicans in the senate of the willingness of mccarthy, should he be the speaker, to actually govern. in fact, i think that was said pretty much outright by some of the republican senators. and that is why there has been support for in the waning days of the 117th congress as we get ready to turn our majority over to republicans making sure that right now we pass critical legislation to fund ukraine and ukrainian fight for the next year. that was something you saw that mccarthy wasn't even at the table with schumer and pelosi to negotiate. i have concerns about where he

might be headed with the majority should he become speaker. i don't you this that's clear. but if he is speaker, where he might go. i think that concern is shared not just by my democratic colleagues but certainly by some republicans in the senate as well. >> congresswoman, one last question before we let you go. you're getting ready for the president zelenskyy's address to the joint session tonight. republicans often express points of view that are untethered from reality, i would say. but in this case, there is some skepticism if not hostility that is kind of come to the surface in the polling of the public about continued support for ukraine. that is not surprising. there are headwinds across the country. they would like to see that money be better spent at home. do you hear that in your district?

what is the mood of your constituents with respect to ukraine? >> i hear a great deal of support for ukraine. but to be fair, i have one of the largest ukrainian-american communities in the country. so people in my district are very aware of why this fight is so important, what it looks like on the ground. why, if we don't fight this battle now through our support for the ukrainians that are futuring this for global democracy, we'll pay later. it's critically important that we support ukraine now and pushing back against russia because, you know, the real fear that should russia be successful here, there is no telling when they will stop. that's why nato allies are very, very concerned as well. that's why the nato nations have been so supportive. so i don't see that waivering in my district. you do think you see that in some areas of the country which

is why presidentzelenskyy's visit is so important to remind people why this future so important. as we're going into our holiday season, spending time with families, the ukrainians are going into a very cold, dark winter. and it shows you their dedication to democracy. and people would fight this hard against an almost overwhelming foe at the on set and be this successful shows you, i think, how horrible most people in ukraine view the idea of republican authoritarianism, totalitarianism -- i'm sorry, russian rule over that country, how bad that would be for individual rights and democracy there. so i think this helps us shore up support in our districts to make sure people understand this isn't just important to democracy. this is important to our global economy. we align nations in our view of what the future looks like. >> congresswoman, now i know where to go if i'm looking for a

good bowl of borscht in new jersey. thank you very much for being here. >> you're always welcome. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. igor, now we heard that, we heard from the domestic political front. let's hear from the actual front lines. what did you see that stood out to you in the interaction between president zelenskyy and president biden and the two respective national representatives of the national press corpses of the respective countries? >> first of all, i'm part of that process. it is a bit more obvious to me. one thing that stood out to me is the difference between perceptions of the two leaders. basically, both countries are democracies. both the united states and ukraine. ukraine is actually fighting to stay a democracy against an aggressor. but what is happening in the u.s. at the moment is called a political process. basically, a bunch of shades of

gray where your main mission, your main goal is to be liked and to get elected. that's what is happening in a democracy during peacetime. and ukrainians are different. for zelenskyy and team, it's not being liked or elected. it's about surviving. it's about not seeing killed -- kids culled every day. it's a bit more black and white for president zelenskyy. so that kind of let me xplaun explain with that example what is going on there. there is talk about writing a blank check to ukraine or that money is better spent at home in the u.s. it's not our fault. putin turned this situation into a black and white scenario. you're going to be writing a check. now whether it is going to be a

check to support ukrainian army fighting tyranny at the moment or a much larger check when you're fighting putin all over the globe. so that's the choice. and there is nothing we can do about it as ukrainians. i probably suggest kind of standing with ukraine. that would solve the problems way quicker. >> igor, zelenskyy's trip here was going to be characterized as coming at a pivotal moment during the war. no matter what point of the war we're in, peopling are go toik ma this. we're going to say this say key moment. there is billions of dollars of aid making its way through the plul process. i wonder if 300 days into the war how you characterize the moment you're in right now? is this a pivotal moment in your view in the course of the war or is this just one of many pivotal moments that ukraine faced since 300 days ago? >> i would say yes and no.

we faced many pivotal moments before. but this is probably the big one. and let me explain to you why:i saw the statistic a few days ago. basically, the experts are predicting that one in four people on the ground in ukraine by the end of the winter will experience mental health issues. that's a fear i have. i'm afraid i'll be slowly going insane. but at the same time, look, it is really getting serious now. life is becoming unbearable in the major cities. before it was compensated by counter offensives. but now the seasonal change and the need for more equipment to continue pushing. the counter offensive has stalled. so this kind of -- there is light at the end of the tunnel. but it is really hard to see it from the darkened streets of kyiv. therefore, president zelenskyy is trying to relight that torch. it is hanukkah.

it's incredibly symbolic what is going on. i think my last point is very simple. the thing that scared me the most is this ukraine fatigue. so-called ukraine fatigue. we -- let me give you an example. every missile attack we face, we used to be doing lots of press. now we had three and this is my first interview in it two weeks. and that's called fatigue. so people have other problems. people kind of -- we have done enough for ukraine. they don't realize the war is going on. it is only getting worse. and the trajectory is down hill for the civilian population. and that's why president zelenskyy has risked everything. i mean everything. russia will probably strike ukraine while he's away. and try to blame it on him. so, you know, he's risked everything to reignite that torch. reignite that candle. hopefully it works. >> igor, last question for you. you and your fellow ukrainians, there are going to be a lot of people watching this speech live

in ukraine? and in what -- i hate to use the cliche they use in american politics all the time, what does president zelenskyy need to do to neutral to accomplish his objectives? >> in terms of people watching the speech tonight. there are blackouts. people will see it eventually. some in three hours, some 24 to 48 hours. depends on the power supply. in terms of the congress, like, look, i genuinely, i fully agree with what president zelenskyy said. we value bipartisan support. there is some radical politicians and unfortunately that phenomenon is global. we have some in ukraine as well, that are risking everything and going against the tide that, are trying to kind of find the hype moments to kind of to get -- to gain political weight. they'll be trying to cause a scandal.

they'll be do a tuck. it's their choice. i believe we have enough support as it is and president zelenskyy will ensure that support is solid. >> i'm going to try never to be in a situation where you say that i've done a tucker, igor. thank you. one of life goals where you never say that about me. igor, thank you very much for being with us. general mccaffrey, i want to ask you just a -- watching these things unfold. you're a general. you're a battlefield guy. you deal with the concrete, absolute all the time and with war. the state craft -- stagecraft, you know, they come together sometimes. the moments where state craft and stagecraft are linked in a way where they're not away from each other. as you watch these two gentlemen state craft through stagecraft, what do you i is that stuff that i talk about fo the body language, warmth, standing shoulder to shoulder, does that matter to

how this war eventually unfolds or is that all kind of window dressing? >> i think it's all quite real. and biden and his team have done a very effective job of reigniting not just u.s. domestic political opinion and congressional support, but also bringing together the global community. russia is a pariah nation. i didn't happen by accident. and certainly the contact crew, 40 nations plus provide an immense support to ukraine. i think the public leadership, public diplomacy of zelenskyy and our president had been superb. i have to get a comment. igor is some superb spokesman for ukrainian viewpoint. transparent, honest, very effective. two things jumped out at me during the conference though. i had a life where at times you've been in imminent peril of losing my own life. and it changes your perspective

dramatically. so i think igor's point about zelenskyy and ukrainians, they understand the consequences of losing. it won't be a diplomatic loss of territory. they'll be slaughtered. they'll be under the mercy of the russians who already demonstrated rape, murder, abduction of children, destruction to the power grid, execution of prisoners of war. so ukrainians understand this isn't some black and whut white situation this is survival. the second thing is to underscore russia is in trouble. how long can they last? the economy is in a shambles. will all he's got is oil and natural gas. he's losing the power of that. his industrial base cannot fund

the war the way he is fighting it. he's been forced -- the chinese are not really standing with him. he's running out of smart munitions. his army is a mess. his approach generated hundreds of thousands of russian men running for their lives to get out of russia. but i do think what we have to underscore it's not patriot missiles that are going to end this war. it's going to be ukrainian courage and technology on the battlefield. they have to feel pain. zelenskyy has to unravel the russian army. and they're on the edge right now. >> general mccaffrey, you make an incredibly important point about what it is to be in this situation where the stakes are so high. the stakes in this case for ukrainians are in ways that change you. president zelenskyy today what

he would say if after joe biden delivered the patriots, he said, thank you for those patriots, sir, and i need more patriots. the two of them laughed and made clear how high the stakes r thank you. we'll hear more from president zelenskyy as he takes his -- what was his moment of spontaneous dealing with the press to a scripted forum up there, the biggest one can you imagine, addressing joint session of congress. there is the capitol dome. coverage starts here at 7:00 p.m. she'll lead the way. but up next, we're going to switch gears for just a second after comprehensive sprawling, also historic, streaming 18-month investigation by the january 6 select committee. it all comes down to this, the final report now scheduled to be released not today but tomorrow. we'll talk about it next. today. we'll talk about it next if your business kept on employees through the pandemic, getrefunds.com can see if it may qualify for a payroll tax refund

of up to $26,000 per employee. all it takes is eight minutes to get started. then work with professionals to assist your business with its forms and submit the application. go to getrefunds.com to learn more. ugh, this rental car is so boring to drive. let's be honest. the rent-a-car industry is the definition of boring. and the reason can be found in the name itself. rent - a - car? you don't want a friend. you want the friend. you don't want a job. you want the job. the is always over a.

that's why we don't offer a car. we offer the car. ( ♪♪ ) sixt. rent the car. this holiday... -happy holidays! ( ♪♪ ) get extra merry with wayfair! let's eat! from hosting essentials to just right gifts. you shouldn't have! holiday your heart out with wayfair. ♪ wayfair, you've got just what i need ♪ want your clothes to smell freshly washed all day without heavy perfumes? try downy light in-wash freshness boosters. it has long-lasting light scent, no heavy perfumes, and no dyes. finally, a light scent that lasts all day. downy light!

and now, we're going to get to the other big story of the day or the story that was supposed to be the biggest story of this day until that other big story got in the way and then the big store you of this day got delayed by issues, i guess with paper jam maybe at the government printing office. we learned late this afternoon that the release of the long anticipated january 6 select committee's final report will not come today but will come tomorrow. and that is going to be the full accounting of the committee's work related to the former president's twice disgraced, twice impeached, much disgraced

and twice impeached president, his multipart plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election. a year and a half's work the committee put into that all laid down in black and white. when we get it, reports expected to be more than 800 pages and consist of eight chapters. earlier today, adam schiff from california, hinted at what will be new in that report. >> what are we going to learn from the full report scheduled to be released later today that we don't already know? >> a lot. now it's a lot that fills in some of the missing pieces. and with the report we're going to begin rolling out transcripts. you'll see why we don't see tony arnado very credible when he says essentially that he was unaware of the propensity for violence that day. you'll hear a lot more of cassidy hutchison's testimony and other key witnesses. i guarantee there will be some

very interesting new information in the report and even more so in the transcripts that we released. >> the release of that full report of the 1/6 committee marks the end of the panel's work and now focus fully turns to the department of justice which we know is already cooperating close will you with the select committee as it, doj, tackles the massive, historic unprecedented decision that lies ahead whether to issue criminal indictments against a former president of the united states. joining us now from capitol hill. can you just -- i made a joke about a paper jam. i guess it is a printing thing. what is it -- we've been sitting around all day waiting for the 800 pages to show up. everybody ready to plow through it. sorry. tomorrow. what happened? >> i know. i had my reading glasses at the ready about to dig into this report. but it mute be revenge of the

prudenter? we've been told it could be a printer, we did call over to the publishing office, maybe it's printed but not given the green light. that is one possibility. the other explanation here, and i heard this from sources sort of, you know, guessing at why we might be seeing this delay if it's not a printer jam is this committee might also be trying to give president zelenskyy the space to come to this joint meeting tonight. this was, and you're right when you introduced it this way, this was the huge store you that we were waiting for today until this another huge story with zelenskyy took place. it is entirely possible this could be attempting to give him the space to come to congress and knowing that they can just as easily release this report tomorrow. that could be what we're seeing here as well. if it's not the printer.

>> it would be a lot more, make me feel better about the world if it's not a toner problem. >> right? >> like we have plenty of toner up here. we can send it down from the supply closet at msnbc. you are expecting anything? there is a little whiff in the air that there may be something coming out. i heard adam schiff make a reference to the t word, transcripts in the piece of sound we played. maybe anything on that front that is rattling around out there? >> look, it's possible. the word we often use when we talk about things coming from this committee is likely. it's true for tomorrow as well. we expect this report likely tomorrow. we could start seeing transcripts. here's what is so interesting. the fact that, yes, we're going to get eight chapters and hundreds of pages of this report. but the fact that lawmakers are saying, yes, that's going to be really interesting. it's the full summation of 18 months of our investigating.

but also the fact that all of this broad data is actually the stuff that is probably going to give us the news bites we have not seen from the committee. of course, we reported and the committee announced the fact that their criminally referring the former president. will same with john eastman. other people were mentioned, the idea that maybe people weren't, as schiff is saying, fully transparent or honest with the committee, there could be discrepancies in some of the transcripts. one of the teasers is you have to read the transcripts for people to see where the discrepancies are. some of the deputies within the white house were more transparent and seemed to recall more details than she did during her deposition. that's one of the key things that we're looking for. and then also the fact that you have to consider they left some breadcrumbs along the way about potential witness tampering if not by the former president himself, then people close to him. all of that is going to be

really important especially as we now go into this phase where it's squarely at the feet of doj. all the prosecutors who are on this show and on this network all the time emphasize the fact that doj loves to act behind closed doors. everything in secret. these raw files that we're going to see when this report eventually comes provide us insight into what doj could be doing once they start squarely doing this work. that is the lasting legacy of this committee, aside from the fact they're putting this all in the public view for the public record for accountability on january 6. it's the idea that all of the work and all of the interviews and all of the underlying data and evidence that they got their hands on provide a road map for the public as we wait and see what the department of justice is actually going to do here. >> i have to say, you know, we're throwing everything but the kitchen sink at with you this week and you're catching it and with this sunny disposition and energy. i'm ready to take a snap. >> i have a steady stream of

diet coke. >> you have your drug of choice. >> i'll try that. thank you for hanging out with us. joining us now, congresswoman zoe lofkin, member of the january 6 house select committee and also the birthday girl? >> oh, yeah. >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> good day on multiple fronts, the report, zelenskyy and birthday. a trifecta. you know, we've been -- we've been talking to you on this show and other shows for the last 18 months. as we got closer to the end game here there was a lot of talk from you and from others on the committee. it's like wait and see. wait until we get to the end. we can discuss things more fully than we were able to while we were still in process. what is it that you think that we should be the kinds of things that fall under the category of stuff you couldn't talk about while you were still actively

investigating but now you can't? what are the kinds of things we should be talking about with you today? >> unfortunately the report is delayed. i don't know why. my understanding it is wasn't quite ready and also kind of rude to release it right in the middle of president zelenskyy's speech if it was ready. we'll have it out tomorrow. the logistics of getting all of the data out is not uncomplicated. the staff is working to do that. we told them to do it. but i guess what i would look at is the transcripts in some cases are, you know, we couldn't cover them all in our hearings. i mean there are too many. but if you take a look at some of the details, for example, in miss hutchison's testimony, especially for september interviews with the committee,

you know, look at the footnotes. there is tremendous data in many of the footnotes that we that the staff and the members of the committee have uncovered about the role that social media played, the role that traditional media played and distributing the propaganda from the trump machine. it is a lengthy report. the data in some ways more than the report itself is going to be really enlitening for the public and press. >> you know, you mentioned the transcripts, the reports of the transcripts. congressman schiff was on television this morning and mentioned the transcripts. the we are hearing here at msnbc that there mao be something that we're going to get tonight of the full report. can you tell us the thing we mute get tonight might be? does it fall under the category

of the aforementioned t word? >> i you this so. but i don't -- honestly, i don't know for sure. i know that there was a health problem with one of the key staffers. hopeful will you that will be resolved successfully. so there is no, you know, skull dugry here. it's a matter of getting it out. and it will be in your hands very soon. >> well, we're very eager. we're not suggesting there is any skull duggery. we've been waiting for a long time. >> i know. >> when you think about the report -- again, i'm asking a question in common english. you know, a lot of people when you have access to something that no one else has seen, someone likes at an 800 report, friends, nieces, nephews, whatever, they say 800 pages? tldr. i'm not going to read it. you are a member of the 1 is already -- 1/6 committee.

what would you direct people to, the topic areas where you say this would be fruitful for you to read? there will be insight and revelation that will add to your understanding of what happened on 1/6. what are key things i should read? what chapter? >> i really can't do. that we also have several apen -- appendixes that you go through failures in the whole law enforcement area, the role of the big lie and social media. so the appendixes are also very enlightening and not just the store you of the day. i would look at those. but honestly, i think i read this report so many times that i couldn't even tell you which is the right page to look at this point. all of the members have gone through it, correcting it,

editing, making sure the footnotes were sound. it's been an incredible experience for all of us not just the staff. so that's why we had a very lengthy executive summary. some people were teasing us it's kind of long for an executive summary. but not everyone will read the 800 pages plus the indices. i'm sure the reporters will. >> i would say 160 page executive summary is not really a summary. you're right about reporters, we did dig into it. i mentioned congressman chiffon congressman schiff on television. he was asked if the doj had moved too slowly. he said, i believe they have moved way too slowly. they moved quickly when it came to the foot soldiers, people that broke into the capitol, but when it came to the higher ups, they took too long. do you agree with that?

>> adam is a former u.s. attorney. i'm not. so he speaks from that vantage point. the truth is we don't know for sure where they were in this investigation. we know they had several grand juries and panels. certainly it doesn't look like they were moving as quickly as the committee. it may be that we helped spur action. but that is just speculation. and i don't really honestly know. the pace picked up considerably over at the department of justice. i do think, you know, we've been providing them in advance some of these transcripts and other information. and i just hope the justice is done. >> congresswoman representative of the 19th district of california, one of my favorite places in my home state. thank you for spending time with us. we'll definitely have you back on once we have the full report and we can go through with you line by line including the

appendixes. >> and footnotes. >> and footnotes. scrupulous reader. thank you, congresswoman. one note before we go, our special coverage of president zelenskyy's address, we've been waiting for it for 24 hours. it's a big moment. the coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern. at dress is starting at 7:30 p.m. eastern. the coverage is by rachel madow. that is it for us. thank you for being with us on this major, major, big time, big league day of news. "the beat" starts right after this break. ws "the beat" starts right after this break she had a lot of questions when she came in. i watched my mother go through being a single mom. at the end of the day, my mom raised three children, including myself. and so once the client knew that she was heard. we were able to help her move forward. your client won't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

ugh, this rental car is so boring to drive. let's be honest. the rent-a-car industry is the definition of boring. and the reason can be found in the name itself. rent - a - car? you don't want a friend. you want the friend. you don't want a job. you want the job. the is always over a. that's why we don't offer a car. we offer the car. ( ♪♪ ) sixt. rent the car. i'd like to thank our sponsor liberty mutual. they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. contestants ready? go! only pay for what you need. jingle: liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ what will you do? ♪ what will you change? ♪ will you make something better?

♪ will you create something entirely new? ♪ our dell technologies advisors provide you with the tools and expertise you need to do incredible things. because we believe there's an innovator in all of us. a must in your medicine cabinet! less sick days! cold coming on? zicam is the number one cold shortening brand! highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam. zinc that cold!