Clad in his trademark fatigues, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hit all the notes one would expect in his address to a joint session of Congress.
Ukraine is on the front lines of a global battle against authoritarianism. Failure to beat back Vladimir Putin now will leave the U.S. and its allies to face an even more menacing future. "Your money is not charity,” said Zelenskyy. "It’s an investment in global security.” Not least, Zelenskyy appealed for more American assistance, as the conflict in Ukraine becomes a grim contest in economic and military endurance-and as the prospects for U.S. assistance become less certain.
Wars have phases, even if the divisions between them are messy. The first phase of this war saw Ukraine preserve its independence by surviving a multipronged Russian attack. The second phase saw Ukraine begin clearing Russian forces from its territory, with major gains in the east and the south.