President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the delegation of the House of Representatives of the United States of America led by Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith.
The head of the Ukrainian state noted the importance of this visit, which is a strong signal of support for Ukraine, its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"We appreciate the help of the United States in defending our territory, our land and the Ukrainian people. I would like to thank President Biden and the US Congress, where we have important bicameral and bipartisan support, for the leading position of the United States," Zelenskyy said.
The President also thanked for the warm welcome First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska received during her visit to the United States, for the opportunity given to her to speak in the Congress and deliver important messages from the Ukrainian people.
The head of state noted the importance of security assistance to Ukraine from the United States, the latest package of which, containing the much-needed HIMARS launcher systems, shells and unmanned aerial vehicles, was announced the day before.
Zelenskyy briefed the U.S. congressmen on the large number of missile strikes launched today by Russian troops on Ukraine, in particular on the territory of the Odesa port. He said that this happened less than a day after the agreements regarding the export of Ukrainian grain were reached in Istanbul.
"This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it. Geopolitically, with weapons, bloodily or not, but it has several vectors, as it always acts," the President said.
The head of state said that this is why Ukraine cannot be a country where there is a "frozen" war. According to him, it is extremely necessary for our state to be able to take appropriate steps to de-occupy Ukrainian territories.
During the meeting, Zelenskyy also informed the representatives of the United States Congress about the work on the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, the first stage of which is the implementation of the Fast Recovery Plan – a plan for the quick restoration of destroyed residential, educational, and medical infrastructure.
"We appeal to our partners, in particular the United States, with a proposal to take an active part in the implementation of this ambitious but extremely important project," the President said.
Zelenskyy also thanked the congressmen, in particular the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, for their determination to continue supporting our state, helping it defend its independence and territorial integrity.
