Photo: SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP / Getty Images
WASHINGTON – Ukrainian President Volodímir Zelensky met this Saturday virtually with 80 members of the US Congress to ask them to send more planes to Ukraine, ban the import of Russian oil and exclude Visa and Mastercard payment mechanisms to Russia.
This was the first time that Zelensky had addressed members of the United States Congress since the outbreak of war. The Ukrainian leader has already intervened by videoconference in recent days before the European Parliament and before the European leaders gathered in an emergency summit.
Zelenski reiterated this Saturday his request for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine to prevent Russia from taking over air control, something that Western governments have rejected for fear that it will lead to clashes between Russian and Atlantic Alliance planes.
The Joe Biden administration has also rejected that idea. As an alternative, the Ukrainian president offered legislators the option of the US facilitating the sending of more planes to Ukraine so that the Ukrainians themselves are the ones to pilot them and face the Russians in the sky. “Close the skies or give us airplanes”
Specifically, the Ukrainian government’s message was “close the skies or give us planes,” said Republican Senator Ben Sasse in a statement, after the videoconference that lasted an hour.
Specifically, Zelensky wants Washington to facilitate the transfer to Ukraine from Poland and Romania of old Soviet aircraft and that NATO then give those two countries more modern aircraft as compensation, Democratic congressman Brad Sherman detailed on Twitter.
Zelensky’s request immediately won the support of several members of Congress, including the majority leader of Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer.
In a statement, Schumer explained that Zelensky made “a desperate appeal” to Eastern European countries to send their old Soviet planes to Ukraine and promised that he will do “whatever he can” to help him.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen went even further and urged NATO to “immediately” mediate the transfer of these aircraft to Ukraine.
Prohibit imports of Russian oil
Furthermore, Zelenski asked Congress to intercede so that the Biden government prohibits the import of oil and gas from Russia
and stated that such action would be even “more powerful” than the exit of some Russian banks from the Swift wire transfer system, said Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.
Pr barring imports to the US would deprive the Kremlin of an important source of revenue; but it could harm the world economy by causing a rise in energy prices, already high, for which the White House has not yet made a final decision.
Unlike Europe, which relies on Russia for oil and gas, the United States can produce those types of energy through fracking hydraulic and other forms of extraction, so it only imports 7.9% of the oil it consumes from Russia, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Congressmen of both parties positioned themselves again this Saturday in favor of this option and promised to act quickly to increase the pressure on Russia.
“Now we are all one big army. The Ukrainian people currently embodies unity for democracy throughout the world,” Democratic legislator Andy Levin said on Twitter.
Visa, Mastercard and humanitarian aid
Zelenski also called for Russia to be excluded from the US Visa and Mastercard payment mechanisms, detailed several legislators, such as Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
Also requested legislators plus military and humanitarian assistance, as well as help so that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is prosecuted as “a war criminal”, detailed on Twitter the Democratic senator Tim Kaine.
Zelensky spoke to US lawmakers sitting at a desk in a well-lit room with a Ukrainian flag on it, a scenario that marks a change with the interviews he has given recently and in which he appears in what appears to be a dark bunker.
Next week, the United States Congress will try to approve an aid package valued at $10,000 million dollars that will serve to strengthen security of the countries on the eastern flank of NATO, in addition to giving military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
By Beatriz Pascual Macías
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