North Dakota delegation commends Zelenskyy’s address to Congress

WASHINGTON (KVRR) – North Dakota U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer are responding favorably to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday.

Zelenskyy cited Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 terror attacks in appealing to Congress for more assistance in his country’s fight against Russia.

Zelenskyy again asked for Western air forces to set up a no-fly zone to block Russian airplanes that are attacking cities and other civilian targets. He told lawmakers by livestream at the U.S. Capitol “We need you right now.”

“President Zelenskyy is showing real leadership, and the people of Ukraine are doing a tremendous job as they bravely defend their nation,” Hoeven said.

“We need to provide needed military equipment for Ukraine to continue to defend itself. At the same time, we need to put the greatest amount of pressure possible on the Putin regime, which can be accomplished both through increased sanctions and by expanding U.S. energy production to further isolate Russia from the global economy.”

Cramer said Zelenskyy’s address to Congress was really an address to the American people.

“His message has not changed for the last couple of weeks. At the end of the day, his request is simple and consistent: help protect the skies over Ukraine. He has a clear understanding that we are not going to patrol or enforce a no-fly zone, but he also uses it as the starting point to get more sophisticated air defense systems and more aggressive and effective fighting aircraft.”

Rep. Kelly Armstrong said Zelenskyy did an effective job of painting a picture of the atrocities being committed by Vladimir Putin’s forces and said the U.S. needs to assess what more it can do to help.

“President Zelenskyy’s address this morning highlighted the need for the United States to continue its commitment to provide military and material support for the army and the people of Ukraine. We must always stand on the side of freedom.”

President Biden later announced the U.S. is sending more anti-aircraft, anti-armor weapons and drones.

Biden also declared Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal.