Zelensky returns home after US visit: ‘We are working toward victory’

by Julia Shapero - 12/23/22 10:10 AM ET

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a news conference with President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky returned home to Ukraine on Friday, following his visit to the United States earlier this week.

“I am in my office,” Zelensky said in a video posted to Telegram early Friday. “We are working toward victory.”

Zelensky traveled to the U.S. on Wednesday to meet with President Biden and American lawmakers and speak before a join meeting of Congress. It was his first known trip outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded nearly 10 months ago.

President Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine following a meeting with Zelensky at the White House on Wednesday, vowing to stand by the war-torn nation for “as long as it takes.”

“We’re going to help Ukraine succeed on the battlefield — if and when President Zelensky is ready to talk to the Russians, he will be able to succeed as well because he will have won on the battlefield,” Biden said at a press conference alongside Zelensky.

The Biden administration announced another $1.85 billion in military assistance for Ukraine amid Zelensky’s visit, including a Patriot missile battery. The advanced aerial defense system is intended to help Ukraine fight off Russia’s targeted attacks on its energy infrastructure during the winter.

Zelensky also appealed to Americans for their continued support in a speech before a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday night, saying U.S. aid will help hasten the end of the war.

“We are returning from Washington. We are coming with good results, with something that will really help,” Zelensky said in his nightly address to the Ukrainian people on Thursday, as he headed home.

“I thank President Biden for his help, his international leadership, and his determination to win,” Zelensky added. “I am grateful to the Congress of the United States — both houses, both parties, all those who support Ukraine, all those who want victory as much as we all do. There will be victory!”

Zelensky also made a brief stop in Rzeszów, Poland, on his way back to Ukraine on Thursday to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda.