First lady of Ukraine will address the US Congress

US lawmakers will hear Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska deliver her remarks on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said before the speech that Zelenska would speak on behalf of all Ukrainian mothers and women.

“And I really think it will be heard by those on whom decision-making in the United States depends,” the president said.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi encouraged all members of the House and Senate to attend, saying it would be an “important and timely opportunity to hear directly from First Lady Zelenska, learn more about the terrible number of victims of the Russian invasion and express our gratitude to the people of Ukraine for their fight for democracy.”

Zelenska met with US first lady Jill Biden at the White House on Tuesday.

The two last saw each other during Biden’s unannounced visit to western Ukraine in May, when they visited a school and joined children making gifts for Mother’s Day.

President Joe Biden presented Ukraine’s first lady with a bouquet of flowers: yellow sunflowers, blue hydrangeas and white orchids, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

The White House said Zelenska is visiting Washington “to highlight the human cost of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. They will discuss continued US support for the Ukrainian government and its people as they defend their democracy and deal with the significant human impacts of Russia’s war, which will be felt for years to come.”

[Parte de la información para este informe provino de The Associated Press y Reuters]

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