i would expect zelenskyy to quote fdr, and i'm told there is an inspiring gift that zelenskyy will bringcongress from the frontlines. joining us now is cnn's chief international correspondent clarissa ward who has been in ukraine for 100 days. why now? why is zelenskyy here in the united states now? >> reporter: i think there are many reasons. you know, to hear him tell it, he wanted to express his gratitude, and not just his gratitude, but the gratitude of the ukrainian people, to the u.s. president, to the american people. he wants to also ensure that that support continues. he wants to shore up and rally more support for the future to come, because i think he understands that ukraine is at a really pivotal moment now. there have been some incredible counteroffensives that have seen the ukrainians deal humiliating blows to the russians on the battlefield. at the same time, ukraine is now being pummelled by russian bombardment, its civilian critical infrastructure is being decimated. they are facing very difficult conditions in the east of the country, in the southeast of the country. t

zelenskyy: thank you. [applause] pres. zelenskyy: thank you so much. thank you. it is too much for me. all of this for our great people. thank you so much. dear americans, states, cities and communities, all of those who value freedom and justice, who cherish as strongly as we ukrainians our cities and each and every family, i hope my words of respect and gratitude resonate in each american heart. madame, vice president, i thank you for your efforts in helping ukraine. madame speaker, you bravely visited ukraine during a full-fledged war. thank you very much. [applause] pres. zelenskyy: i am very privileged to be here. members of the congress, representatives of both parties who also visited kyiv. esteemed congressman and senators from both parties who will visit ukraine, i am sure, in the future. representatives of the diaspora. [applause] pres. zelenskyy: present in this chamber, journalists, it is a great honor for me to be at the u.s. congress and speak to you and all americans. against all odds, and doom and gloom scenarios, ukraine did not fall. ukraine is

we're told zelenskyy is on the way.manu raju, you have some reporting about what the republican leader, potentially the next house speaker, kevin mccarthy, asked president zelenskyy when they met just minutes ago. >> yeah, they met actually with all the top leaders, congress, at nancy pelosi's ceremonial office just off the house floor. and according to our colleague who was told by a source close to mccarthy, he asked about the conditions on the ground, wanted to know how winter will impact the war going forward, and what about the use of iranian drones. he questioned the russian capabilities in weaponry. it's important to remember that even though mccarthy has recently said no blank check for ukraine going forward, he has in fact supported other measures to continue funding ukraine, including in the fall when that big package of $40 billion or so moved forward. he is not supporting this latest effort of $45 billion because it's wrapped into that larger bill. it's unclear what he would do as house speaker but indicated

we are told that zelenskyy is on the way.u have some reporting about what the republican leade r [applause] [applause] >> members of congress -- >> i have the high privilege, and the distinct>> thank you so. >> thank you, thank you. it's too much for me. all of this, for our great people. thank you so much. the americans. in all states, cities and communities. all of those who value freedom and justice. who cherish strongly as we ukrainians. in all of our cities, each and every family. i hold my words of respect and gratitude. resonate in each american heart. madam vice president. i thank you for your efforts, in helping ukraine. madam speaker. you bravely visited ukraine during the full fledged war. thank you very much. a great honor. thank you. >> great privilege to be here. dear members of congress. and representatives of both parties. who also visited kyiv. esteemed congressmen and senators. from both parties. who visit ukraine. i am sure in the future, do you representatives of diaspora. president in this chamber and spr

he shows that zelenskyi is close to him. this is not a myth. completely real person who speaks in the congress in front of the citizens of the united states. 45 billion dollars these are their taxes, these are the taxes of the citizens of the united states of america, and they should clearly understand who they are supporting and what this money will go to, so it is in this context that it is extremely important to me a visit to volodymyr zelenskyi in the usa and a speech in front of the congress so that everyone can see how ukrainians are a heroic people , how ukrainians are currently defending democracy around the world, and that our president is speaking in the united states congress, and the historical parallels are drawn absolutely correctly. i think that in fact these the parallels will be absolutely in all american mass media tomorrow oleksiy well, right now we are watching the congress building live, the congress itself is preparing for a meeting with president volodymyr zelenskyi and you know speaking about the allocation of funds, but

they're trying to get a spending bill done, zelenskyy. taking oxygen out of the room. and the reality is, they've spent a long time tinkering with the report. remember bennie thompson saying actually we'll have eight chapters on monday as well as the public meeting. that didn't happen. and then he said, we'll have the report on wednesday, that hasn't happened. i think there's a lot of tinkering going on that is the delay or contributed to the delay ultimately. we may still get some information later today but they're not being very specific on what that means. >> so, one of the things that's been an interesting subplot of the insurrection and the investigation is the attorneys fired by the trump team for witnesses in the role that they play. and you have some new reporting when it comes to that star witness caddie hutchinson, the former aide to the white house chief of staff. >> that's right. remember, we heard from the committee earlier this week there was a lawyer telling one of their clients you can just say you don't recall things to

a few months later on july 25th that's when zelenskyy and trump had the second call, when zelenskyy wasinvitation, he got one, kind of. but only after trump urged ukraine's leader to work with his attorney, rudy giuliani, and the u.s. attorney general to investigate his political rival, joe biden. trump raised unsubstantiated allegations that biden sought to interview with a ukrainian prosecutor's investigation of his son, hunter. and according to the transcripts trump said, quote, there's a lot of talk about biden's son that biden stopped the prosecution and people want to find out about that. so whatever you could do with the attorney general would be great. behind the scenes, trump and his allies continued to pressure zelenskyy to announce an investigation. and trump ordered a hold on military aid to ukraine. on september 25, 2019, that's when speaker pelosi made a formal impeachment inquiry of trump. >> the president has admitted to asking the president of ukraine to take actions that would benefit him politically. the actions of the trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact o

an awful lot. >> and they both, churchill and zelenskyy, shared this factor.ey were both risking their lives in the trip to get here. >> right, right. >> and churchill did it repeatedly during world war ii. >> absolutely, he was treacherous, you know, the north atlantic shipping and air lanes were all extremely dangerous. , churchill knew he was not going to get much facetime with fdr during this war. so, it was important for him to spend day after day at the white house of the two would bond, which they certainly did. but the other parallel, lawrence, to 1940 and 1941 is the debate that we are hearing now. you know, many americans at that time, including those who love fascism, but not all, they were saying a democracy cannot possibly compete with a fascist dictatorship like germany or italy. so, we're going to have to do one of two things. this is what charles lindbergh said. of the leaders of america first, as it was called. they said we're either going to have to turn the united states into a fascist system so we can compete with hitler and mussolini and t

you mentioned the visit of president zelenskyy.ek, a couple months ago we would have expected to be very quiet. most lawmakers back in their home districts, all the work for the year settled, but now we have this major address here tonight. an hus torque address. it will be the last time speaker pelosi will be in front of a joint meeting. and the final report of the january 6th committee. this is something that's more than a year and a half in the making. there won't be any bomb shelling out of this report, but to see this final narrative all-in-one final package will be important. and will be interesting to see how they lay everything out. the revelation of the former president's tax returns prove to be noteworthy and news worthy given the ways and means committee discovered about the lack of taxes that he paid and also the form and fashion this which the irs handled husband tax returns while in office. there's a lot going on here. and we didn't even mention the spending bill yet, which could be settled by this evening. it's a ver

he thought zelenskyy by now would have been abandoned and killed and instead volodymyr zelenskyy is "time" magazine's person of the year being greeted as a hero by a bipartisan group of the house and senate. i mean, i don't have much sympathy for vladimir putin on any day but he's not having a good night. >> no, and he's watching. certainly he's watching not just the speech but this joining of the minds and of the nations this this war between ukraine and a fellow superpower in the u.s. and that's quite a moment with many consequences beyond it, passionate, full of shared purpose. this is not just our war, it is a war with the u.s. for the free world and deliberately addressing the american people, the first people he talked to were the people at home saying that i hope that this resonates in each american heart and that's deliberate, i believe, to bring everybody in and say that this is our battle. it's not some distant war. it is a battle you can relate to and all those historical comparisons to our war of independence, not accidental, just as you said going in that he does this del

lemaire zelenskyy said in december, as president zelenskyy said in september, that unless those territoriesthat russia has claimed to annex, are return he will not meet at the no negotiation table. >> eu sanctions three additional russian banks, given -- when asked for a reason, she said russia intends to bring death and devastation to ukraine, and is deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, setting to paralyze the country at the beginning of winter. >> time magazine has named president vladimir zelenskyy as its president of the year. each year, the magazine takes a person deemed the biggest global impact over the previous 12 months. the tradition dates back to 1927, in picking zelenskyy, the time editor says, courage is contagious. >> from the battlefield to the bunker to meeting with heads of state, over the past 10 months, president vladimir zelenskyy seems to be everywhere, since russia's invasion on february 4, the president has delivered daily speeches both locly and globally. it is that fighting spirit, along with his decision to stay in kyiv and rally his countr

amy: ahead of zelenskyy strip -- zelenskyy pressure yes top european officials believe russia may not be to blame for acts of sabotage that severely damaged undersea pipelines built to carry natural gas from russia to europe. that's according to "the washington post," which cited interviews with 23 diplomatic and intelligence officials from nine european countries about the september explosions that d tohe closure of the nord stream pipelines. the officials privately said there is no evidence russia was behind the sabotage, which caused some of the worst methane gas leakin history and cut off supplies of russian fuel to europe aheadf winter. on wednesday, a kremlin spokesperson said european countries were failing to conduct a proper investigation. russia has blamed the u.k. for the explosions, a charge denied by british officials. russian president vladimir putin has pledged to expand russia's army by a half-million troops and is prepared to give his military "everything it is asking for." in another sign the kremlin is preparing for a long war in ukraine, russia's defense minister s

or zelenskyy, president zelenskyy came in, an emotional entrance, he referenced a peace plan that hecussed with president biden. you know, do you know any details about what this is? >> do i know any details about his discussion with president biden? no. but i know that he gave an electrifying speech. there were, as you're screening showing, rounds and rounds of standing ovations. he reminded us about the courage, the determination, and the sacrifice of the ukrainian people. he thanked us, he thanked the american people. he thanked president biden. and as you know, we are working tonight to pass the upcoming year of spending bill that would provide an additional 45 billion dollars in humanitarian, economic, and military support for the brave ukrainians who continue to fight to expel the russian occupiers from their nation. >> senator, do you think that the 45 billion will get them through next year in terms of the military needs that they will have? just referring to the patriots, they are getting one battery, they are going to want more than that, they are going to want, who knows,

well, you can imagine it now because zelenskyy actually, and zelenskyy's wife, and zelenskyy's family and the ukrainian people are actually in just as harrowing a position if not more, and the bravery from that very first night when they went out in the streets of ukraine and they took that video and put it up on instagram, it's been nothing short of extraordinary, and we would hope looking at their courage, that it would reflect back on us as a people too and remind us of all the things that we have done as a people together through the years, whether it was fighting the nazis, fighting the communists, and this is something that david touched on in his latest piece. zelenskyy recalled us to ourselves, and this is what david wrote. maybe our ideals were not so out of date. maybe our institutions were not so broken. maybe the people the ukrainians needed to be, maybe those were the people we could be again. what the western world is getting in return for its aid to a powerful recommitment to be its own best self. we didn't believe the ukrainians could do it, in part because we didn't b

and zelenskyy is now on his way to where you are, to kyiv, home. how do people there view this trip? >> reporter: well, the reality is, of course, this is triumphant moment and people will feel very proud of their president for giving that prime time speech in english and for securing billions of dollars of additional aid and weapons. but the sad reality on the ground here the majority of people even if they are up at this late hour might not be able to watch it because they don't have electricity, they don't have heat. a lot of people don't have water. so daily survival and figuring out how to keep the kids warm, how to get them fed, how to function in what was a very developed and, you know, modern society up until president putin tried to bomb them into the stone age. i mean these relentless russian air strikes including the air-raid sirens just today are a fact of life, and that is a pressing concern for people. yes, they want as many weapons as possible. we've talked to soldiers or retired military who say they need as many weapons they can ge

jill biden awaiting the arrival of president zelenskyy. the question is, does he have a shopping list of weapon systems that he'll previously been denied that he still seeks. you will recall earlier in the conflict he was hoping to get u.s. fighter aircraft. here is president zelenskyy. [ reporters calling out questions ] >> you hear questions being fired both we believe in ukrainian and english. but it is get down to business time for these two presidents as they enter the white house, the one-on-one meeting with the president, security staff at some point to discuss as well some of the things on president zelenskyy's mind. let's go to chief foreign affairs correspondent richard engel. as i noted a moment ago, there are certain things that zelenskyy has wanted in the past,incrementally stepped up the capability of weapons. if he asks for tanks, airplanes, long range missiles, would that still be a nonstarter in your view? >> i think it would be very difficult. he has asked for combat aircraft, he has asked for a no-fly zone, instead the u

what is zelenskyy aiming to achieve?hat will be useful in terms of framing the kinds of assistance that the united states can provide in the coming months because it is a delicate period. it's now winter. there was, i think, a fairly general expectation among western observers that the pace of fighting might slow down, although some of the ukrainian officials have suggested, no, if they see an opportunity they will go ahead and take advantage of it. i'd just like to comment, one thing that's kind of remarkable here, yesterday president zelenskyy was on the front line, and he does that, he regularly visits the front line and talks to the troops in the field, and yesterday when he was in bakhmut, that's a town that the russians have been trying to take for more than four months now, and they have not succeeded. but when they showed film of zelenskyy presenting awards to ukrainian military personnel in bakhmut, you could hear in the background the boom of the artillery. he's close to the front. vladimir putin has never gone

zelenskyy: thank you so much.aine gained this victory and it gives us courage which inspires the entire world. americans gained this victory. that is why you have succeeded in uniting the global community to protect freedom and international law. europeans gained this victory. that is why europe is now stronger and more independent than eve the russian tyranny has lost control over us. [applause] and it will never influence our minds again, yet we have to do whatever it takes to ensure that the global south also gains such victory. i know one more very important thing, the russians will stand a chce to be free only way they defeat the kremlin in their minds. [applause] yet, the battle continues and we have to defeat the kremlin on the battlefield, yes. this battle is not only for the territory, for this and other parts of europe. the battle is not only for life, freedom and security of ukrainians or any other nation which russia attempts to conquer, this struggle will define in what world our children and grandchi

president zelenskyy and president biden., 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 agai

this is what the president's office reports about zelenskyi's meeting with a bagpipe with zelenskyi stoppedin poland as unexpectedly as he went to the united states before that, it was the first the foreign visit of the ukrainian president since russia launched a full-scale war in washington zelenskyi met with biden in the white house and held a joint press conference with them gave a speech in the us congress zelenskyi thanked the americans for their help and called for further joint action against russian aggression zelenskyi spoke before both houses of congress there were both members of the house of representatives and the senate in the hall, and his speech was interrupted by applause 18 times. the key point of his speech was that he emphasized that during the war initiated by russia, not only the fate and future of ukraine is being decided, but the fate of the entire free world, zelenskyi said financial assistance from the united states and other countries is not charity, but investment in global security and democracy, and if zelenskyi’s meeting with biden is a statement of support fo

in 2022 zelenskyy's ukraine faces long odds.nd at both times -- at both times the arsenal of democracy was america. we weren't doing the fighting. but if we didn't give the supplies, our ally would fail. and so the analogy is perfect, and that's why tonight was one of those historic moments that will be talked about forever. >> here's where i'm not so sure it's a perfect analogy. as you know in 1941 the united states had just been bombed in pearl harbor. churchill was coming here because he'd been begging the united states to join this war for years, and, you know, as churchill always said americans eventually get it right after they've exhausted every other option. okay? this is the case now where 300 days into the war americans -- we know democracy gets tired of war when it's our own let alone when it's other peoples wars. i think it's really poignant to say it's an exact analogy because he was coming here to rattle our troops to make the case we cannot get tired of fighting for our values on their front. >> so you're almost s

what is zelenskyy's aim today? and why make this historic trip right now, why take the chance of leaving ukraine in this moment? >> well, first of all, zelenskyy is trying to show america that you are still the leader of the free world, and it is very symbolic that you are the first stop on the trip, it is a trip, and a thank you from him. and secondly, this war is entering a very serious space. now tens of millions of civilians are in direct danger. in kyiv, we've just been told that in two, three weeks time, if we get ten hours of electricity a day, that's amazing. that's good news for us. because now we're getting two to three hours a day. so there are a lot of things happening on the ground and i think now is the decisive moment to decide, both for the congress, and for anyone else in the united states, whether, you know, are we still supporting democracy, or are we giving putin effectively a blank check to continue politics. >> what does it mean to have the patriot air defense missile systems for ukraine right

the last time volodymyr zelenskyi left the country was on february 19.t was 5 days before the russian repeat. then he went to the munich security conference, as they later admitted at the bank. then, for the first time, western partners suggested that zelenskyi not return to of ukraine and to form a government in exile, i.e. a government in exile, because at that time few people believed in the ability of ukraine to hold out in a war with russia. and the war was already obvious and inevitable at that time, us president joe biden said that he should discuss many issues with volodymyr zelenskyi, that he would be very happy to see zelenskyi in the united states, not exactly what is happening in washington right now, how are they preparing to receive zelenskyi, what is the mood there regarding his visit, i will ask my colleague maria ulyanovska, a journalist of the voice america joins our airwaves, a dream my congratulations please tell me how washington is currently preparing to meet zelensky what the american press is writing about it welcome to washington

[silence] >> tonight, president zelenskyy goes to washington.r reassures congress it's

tonight zelenskyy addressing a joint meeting with congress. our full coverage ahead. >>> the once in a generation storm and extremely dangerous arctic blast impacting holiday travel. nearly 100 million under winter alerts across 28 states. governors declaring states of emergency, and are some americans in for the coldest christmas in 40 years? we're tracking it all. >>> former president trump's tax returns about to be made public after a vote by a house committee. what the panel's report reveals. >>> the university of idaho murder investigation. our interview with the police chief. how he responds to fears the case has gone cold. >>> remembering the nfl hall of famer who caught one of the most famous touchdown passes in history. >>> and my report on the mission to help prisoners adjust to life on the outside. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, the symbolism could not be stronger. the united states and ukraine demonstrating a remarkable bond strengthened by adversity and a common foe. today, an oval off

zelenskyi in the congress, yes, this is historic, we see.w how electrified this audience was in general, the atmosphere was so transmitted to each of us. we saw how volodymyr zelenskyi's speech was attached to the profession, on the fact that there are traditions of american parliamentarism, this is constant . the number of times when congressmen stood up, this means the highest level of political support for the speaker when the person who is speaking after each phrase is encouraged by standing up and loud applause we see that indeed volodymyr zelenskyi prepared very powerfully well, you know what they felt, they felt that the congressmen and the americans possessed, of course, volodymyr zelenskyi himself, but they saw ukrainians in him, they saw the ukrainian people in him, they saw those people who are fighting for democracy and defending it in the fight against russian aggression, and the emphasis on bakhmut, neo- terrorist attacks on the infrastructure, including the energy sector and the necessary, of course , were very accurately and

zelenskyy accepted, and this past sunday, while the u.s. consulted with him on security parameters for the trip, the decision was made for him to come. zelenskyy has not publicly left ukraine for any reason since russia invaded in february. david ignatius, explain the significance of zelenskyy coming to the united states of america. >> mika, this will be a dramatic visit. it's rare to have somebody in the middle of a war, a brutal war, leave his country to explain to the united states and the world just what he's fighting for, and i think he'll be passionate in explaining that. i think the significance of the trip is that politically it should really lock in bipartisan support for continued u.s. military assistance to ukraine. it should, i think, galvanize our nato allies to work closely with the u.s. through what will be a difficult winter. i think most of all this is, just a defiant gesture towards russia, which is pounding ukraine every day. trying to weaken the country's infrastructure. trying to break the will of its people, and to hav

he got zelenskyy by now would have been abandoned and killed and instead volodymyr zelenskyy 's time magazine's person of the year, being greeted as a hero by a bipartisan group of the house and senate. i don't have much sympathy for vladimir putin any day. but he's not having a good night. >> no. and he's watching. he's watching not just the speech but he is watching this joining of the minds and the nation, between ukraine and a fellow superpower in the u.s.. and that is quite a moment. with my consequences beyond it. passionate, full of shared purpose -- for the free world. and deliberately, addressing the american people, the first people he talked to with the people at home, saying, i hope that this resonates in each american heart. and that's deliberate, i believe, saying -- it's not some distant war. it's a battle you can relate to. and then all those historical comparisons to our, war of independence, not accidental, just as you said, going in, he does this deliberately, >> although i have decided to say the battle of saratoga maybe a bit of a bridge too far -- >> people are

time and host ostap yarysh , ukrainians and americans are fighting for common values , volodymyr zelenskyi emphasized this in his speech before the us congress. for support and emphasized that the americans are not just helping ukraine in the fight against russian aggression . the draft law on state financing, which includes almost 45 billion in additional aid to ukraine and partners, but when to expect the final vote and whether volodymyr zelenskyi's speech had an effect on the legislators, we will ask kateryna lisunova, who is now joining us from the capitol hill, i congratulate you, i congratulate you, ostapenko, about the results of the speech of the ukrainian president in congresses, we can talk. what main theses did you highlight from his speech? of senates. thus, volodymyr zelenskyy was able to personally discuss the issues that interest him with the main representatives of american politics in the congress. the second achievement of volodymyr zelenskyy can be called the very fact of speaking at the congresses in the right of time e of the main american media. thus , volodymyr zelen

[laughter] president zelenskyy calling -- president zelenskyy: i am sorry. sometimes i switch on my negative language. [foreign language] you have started by stating that your family is in kyiv and without the assistance of the united states and this is absolutely true. the u.s. leadership in this assistance strong and and i would like to remind you your family will be in danger without the armed forces of -- forces of ukraine. which is very important. that concerns or questions, what would you like to hear? just peace? i do not know what just peace is. it is a very philosophical description. if there is just war, i do not know. for all of us, peace -- just pieces different. as the president, just peace is no compromises and sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country. the payback for all the damages inflicted by russian aggression. i am sorry i am reminding and talking about children a lot today, but as a father i would like to emphasize you know how many parents lost their sons and daughters on the front lines. what is just peace for them? money is

zelenskyy's first time leaving ukraine since the war began. both leaders making news tonight. >>> also this evening, the massive holiday storm, just as millions travel. dangerous driving and the dangerous winds. bracing for real trouble at major airports. >>> first tonight, president zell leb ski in the nation's capital, set to address congress and the american people this evening. the first wartime leader to visit the u.s. and address congress since winston churchill. rachel scott live on the hill. terry moran at the white house. >>> the other news this wednesday night, this major christmas storm sweeping across the country. tonight, 40 states now from washington down to texas up to the northeast under alerts for snow, heavy rain, ice. brutal cold and dangerous winds. blizzard conditions from minneapolis to chicago. creating a holiday travel nightmare. hundreds of flights already canceled for tomorrow. and the wind gusts that could make travel late this week just before christmas a real challenge. senior emergency rob marciano timing it all o

the zelenskyy's joint addressed congress tonight, it's expected to start in a matter of minutes. we are bringing that to you live. that is happening on a day where we also have major domestic news breaking, and some very big ways is kind of the part of the same story. that is at least part of the big not at all theoretical question of our age, which is of course do we have the rule of law, or not? do we live by democracy, or do we live under authoritarian rule by force. in russia right now, the leading opposition figure in that country's rotting in prison. the grave crime of running an anti-corruption group. alexei navalny's group produced reports, videos, youtube videos exposing or the most important consequences for russia that they live under authoritarian rule. if it is mass theft. grand scale corruption from their leader. navalny's group exposed vladimir putin's secret palaces, his secret estates, the villas and chateaus and wineries and ranches and yachts and airplanes controlled by putin and his family, and his friends. in a no rule of law environment in a country where yo

in general, an important moment of this visit to the congress and volodymyr zelenskyi is the fact that he managed to meet with the leaders of both republicans and democrats as the senate and the house of representatives before their speech and actually have a closed conversation with american legislators, and this is important in particular against the background of the fact that the review is taking place today e-e of the government budget of the united states of america for 2023, which includes 45 billion additional aid for ukraine a and e , in fact, e, this budget is adopted in the format of smart unconditional, it will be, so to speak, in a package , many different e-e other issues are invested there and now there are disputes among legislators and there is a possibility that it will be delayed or from before for ukraine. it is important that it be approved because it actually includes a record, as of now, the amount of financial aid for ukraine from the united states of america to its facebook they posted photos where you were literally among the journalists, so from above , in fa

the imagery alone of president biden and president zelenskyy standing side by side, president zelenskyy in his uniform if you will of the siege he's been under for sometime now. i thought it was a solid press conference, you know, president zelenskyy came off as authentic, he thanked the american people, the congress and spoke to what the ukrainian people are going through. president biden i think delivered solid remarks but he talked a lot about what we're providing them, military assistance and aid. i was hoping to hear more about why. particularly in a time the american people are distracted by the january 6th committee reports and bad weather in the northeast and christmas which is pending it's a chance to tell the american people why we're there and speak about auto autocracies and democracies and a bid to the congress to say to republicans in particular there will be accountability on these systems and that he's going to pressure european allies to do more than what they've been doing and finally, i think it was a chance to message to the russian people as well but we didn't hear

volodymyr zelenskyy: yes. journalist: i got a question to both of you, but firstly as ukrainian, and i mean it, i want to thank the united states for supporting my country. my family is in ukraine and i understand they would not be alive if the united states did not do this, so thank you. and my question, as we enter a new phase of this war, and you discussed today which path to choose, how the war could come to an end and what is next, a new counteroffensive or peace talks. so good you share your vision, what is the fair way to end this war and how do you understand this war and peace. thank you. pres. volodymyr zelenskyy: my view? pres. biden: your guide. [laughter] -- a guy. although i like him very much already. [laughter] pres. volodymyr zelenskyy: started this question -- i am sorry, sometimes i switch on my native language. translator: you 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 the system is strong a

i've spoken with zelenskyy a few times at length, his english is not totally fluent.had to use his notes, he was tracing his words with his finger. he really wanted to do this in english. that's something that would not have been easy for him to do, would've had to practice this and go over it in terms of timing, delivering a few joke lines, and many standing ovations. this is something that you took tremendously seriously, and i think that he wanted to quell those voices, and said let's just wrap this up, let's give up on the ukrainian people. he said, don't give up on ourselves, -- >> he talked about the possibility of a summit, to talk about the ukrainian terms for peace. we asked john kirby about that from the national security council, and he suggested that's something that zelenskyy's team, the biden team are talking about, and international community summit in support of ukraine, in support of ukraine's idea of a peace initiative. perhaps in new york city. is that the kind of thing that if it were convened, that that might puncture some of the success of russia

[applause] >> president zelenskyy in front of the u. s. congress and the exchange of the ukrainian flag for the american flag there. ukraine, america, and the free world, united. ukraine will win this war. >> just one thing. if i can, the last thing -- thank you so much. may god protect our brave troops and citizens. may god forever bless the united states of america. merry christmas! and happy, victorious new year! [applause] >> thanking the american people for their support. the ukrainians here in this country have flown ukrainian flags in their homes. he thinks the president. [applause] >> this flag was flown over the capital today in honor of the president's visit. [applause] [applause] >> okay. the purpose of the joint -- [applause] the purpose of the joint -- [crowd chanting] [applause] >> okay no. the purpose of the joint meeting having been completed, the chair dictate declares the joint meeting of the two houses now dissolved, the house will continue in recess subject to the call of the chair. i will show this to -- >> and we see

it was zelenskyy's first trip outside ukraine since the war began. a historic day in washington, and it's where we begin with chief white house correspondent peter alexander. >> reporter: tonight ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy before a joint session of congress >> ukraine didn't fall ukraine is alive and kicking. >> reporter: capping off an historic visit to washington, earlier meeting president biden at the white house >> it is an honor to be by your side >> reporter: this oval office visit a defiant and daring show of solidarity. >> president zelenskyy the united states stands with the great people of ukraine and stand with you >> reporter: president zelenskyy thanking president biden, congress, and the american people >> thanks from our just ordinary people to your ordinary people, americans, i really appreciate i think it is very difficult to understand what i mean when we say appreciate, but you really have to feel it. >> reporter: zelenskyy presenting mr. biden with a medal a ukrainian soldier wanted him to give the american president.

definitely what zelenskyi took part in personal talks with the president of the united states.is very good, i would not be hasty with the evaluations. i remember very well the participation of president zelenskyi in the normandy meeting that took place in 2019, and then it actually seemed that it would be such a huge step forward in development of ukraine, and then agreements began to come out that did not really contribute and which in the end were one of the factors that made putin decide on full-scale aggression. i would like to point out to mrs. yevgenia that this is not by chance, it was very symbolic that the statement of the secretary of state about providing us with the patriots and this is really very, very important was made even before the meeting of the presidents of the united states of america and ukraine, that is, the united states of america showed that the decision to provide these high-precision, necessary air defense systems was not the subject of agreements between ukraine and the united states during the meeting. and this is the political will of the united

president volodymyr zelenskyy will arrive in just hours.e's going to speak with president joe biden and congress after more than 300 days of war. we're on the ground in ukraine. >>> plus here in the u.s. a bomb cyclone and blizzards set to disrupt your holiday travel across the united states. what airlines want travelers to know about their options. >>> and the biden administration gearing up for the end of title 42, but officials say they're not quite ready for it to end. what they are asking the supreme court to do. we have all of that straight ahead. >>> but we begin with president zelenskyy's surprise trip to washington d.c. it's his first trip outside of ukraine since russia's invasion and comes at a pivotal time as the u.s. prepares to announce nearly $2 billion in military aid for ukraine's defenses including patriot missile systems. and moments ago, zelenskyy was seen arriving in poland. you see the pictures right there. we have learned that he traveled by train to a town near the polish/ukrainian border as part of his journey here.