WASHINGTON - Amid a tumultuous and deadly battle against invading Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to speak virtually before the United States Congress on Wednesday to potentially discuss stronger sanctions and more meaningful action against Russia.Zelenskyy has used his public campaign to help ensure a global spotlight that might have faded amid the coronavirus pandemic and fatigue after the end of the long U.S.
war in Afghanistan. The Ukrainian president’s video appearances are beaming the boyish but unshaven president into households and smartphones around the world as he speaks from undisclosed locations in Kyiv while Russia bombards his country, a heroic figure at the center of what many view as the biggest security threat to Europe since World War II.
Almost 3 million refugees have fled Ukraine, the fastest exodus in modern times.Nearing the three-week mark in an ever-escalating war, Zelenskyy has used his campaign to implore allied leaders to "close the sky" to prevent the Russian airstrikes that are devastating his country.