US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that he turned down a request from Volodymyr Zelensky to address a joint session of Congress, NBC reported on Thursday.
McCarthy explained his refusal by the lack of free time for a joint address amid a busy legislative week, adding that Zelensky had previously had an opportunity to speak before Congress, the report said.
Zelensky is in Washington, D.C. on Thursday to meet with US lawmakers and President Joe Biden after addressing the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this week.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the United States this week to participate in the UN General Assembly session and to beg the US government for more financial and military assistance for the Kiev regime.
His visit, however, comes at a time when a not-inconsiderable number of US legislators seem opposed to the continued support of Ukraine at the expense of the American taxpayers, as Kiev has proven to be extremely adept at squandering the money and military hardware it receives while at the same time failing to achieve any meaningful success on the battlefield, says Sputnik News, a Russian news source.
Meanwhile, Zelensky complained bitterly at the United Nations yesterday that the fact that Russia has a veto on the UN security council makes it farcical, because global opinion can be disregarded.
Fifteen countries sit on the Council, five of which – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – are permanent members who have the power to veto any resolution or decision. Ten non-permanent members are elected to serve for two-year terms.
“Ukraine considers it is unjust when billions of people do not have their permanent representation in the Security Council,” said Mr. Zelenskyy.
Zelensky also lambasted Russia, labelling the invading country as “terrorists,” he warned that Moscow was weaponizing everything from food to energy to children in its war against Ukraine. He also called for sanctions and denuclearisation of the Russian Federation.
While individual nations have various agreements that restrict arms, “There are no real restrictions on weaponization,” Zelenskyy said.
Sources: United Nations, Sputnik, Euronews, news agencies.
