Zelensky calls on Congress to pass more aid to Ukraine and said they 'will never surrender'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday made an in-person appeal to Congress to pass additional financial aid packages to his country as it continues to fight against an ongoing Russian invasion.

The speech was part of Zelensky's first trip outside Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24. Earlier in the day he held a press conference with President Joe Biden in which he thanked the American people for their support.

Speaking in English, Zelensky began by again thanking the country for its support thus far, in particular noting House Speak Nancy Pelosi, who visited the country during the war.

"Ukraine is alive and kicking," he declared triumphantly early in the speech. "We have no fear, nor should anyone in the world have it. Ukraine has gained the victory and it gave us courage which inspires the entire world... The Russian tyranny has lost control over us."

Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine must still defeat the Russians on the battlefield and contextualized the lingering military struggle as one with global implications. He further contended that the war would decide the fate of democracy for the world.

He went on to point to the ongoing Russian assault on Bakhmut, lamenting the near-constant shelling of the city and the dwindling of its civilian population as a result.

"Ukraine holds these lines and will never surrender," Zelensky said.

"Your support is crucial," he contended. "We have artillery. Is it enough? Honestly, not really," he said, prompting laughs from lawmakers. He then likened the fight at Bakhmut to the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolution and contended that further support could make the struggle a similar turning point in the war.

"It is just a matter of time before they strike your other allies," he further warned of Russian aggression. 

"Financial assistance is also very important," he said, hinting at Congress's ongoing debate over the passage of an omnibus spending package, which includes $45 billion for Ukraine. He further assured lawmakers that such aid was not "charity."

He made another appeal to lawmakers to help expedite an end to the war with financial aid to Kyiv.

Zelensky then pointed to the upcoming Christmas holiday, which he asserted that Ukrainians would celebrate "candlelit" due to the ongoing power outages from Russian strikes on the nation's infrastructure.