Thread by @girlsreallyrule

Live tweet thread on Zelensky's speech to Congress: Nancy Pelosi takes the podium to introduce President Zelensky and the room erupts into a lengthy standing ovation.

Zelensky starts by saying he is in the Capitol of Kyiv, which is under airstrikes every day - he continues to say that despite this, the City of Kyiv and all of Ukraine have not even considered giving up. 2/

Zelensky: "Right now the destiny of our country will be decided, the destiny of our people-whether Ukrainians will be free, whether they will be able to attack our democracy." He says Ukrainians have the same dreams as Americans and describes the importance of US Democracy. 3/

Zelensky asks America to remember Pearl Harbor and September 11th and says just like we did not expect it, we too, could not stop the attacks. He says Russia has now done the same to his country. 4/

Zelensky: The Russian aggression of bombs and attacks is "a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years and we are asking for an answer... from the whole world. Is this a lot to ask for-to create a no fly zone?" 5/

Zelensky says if a no-fly zone is too much to ask for then an alternative is military assistance: "you know what kind of defense systems we need...powerful, strong aviation to protect our people, our freedom...aircraft that can help Ukraine, help Europe...and you have them." 6/

Zelensky pivots directly from asking for heavy US aircraft to saying he "has a dream" and as Americans, we should know what that means- he has a dream and a need to protect the sky and he needs US help, which he equates again to having a dream. 7/

Zelensky thanks the US for its "overwhelming support" from the government and the people regarding weapons and money and training. He thanks Biden for his commitment to democracy and Congress for the resolution against war criminals, but he calls on the US to do more...8/

Zelensky calls for new packages of sanctions to be constant, every week "until the Russian military machine stops." Restrictions for everyone that is linked to the Putin regime, including Russian politicians who have not cut ties with Putin, including state Dumas members 9/

Zelensky also asks that ALL American businesses and companies leave Russia and the Russian market, saying "it is flooded in our blood." 10/

Zelensky also urges American businesses to take the lead for the rest of the world on exiting the Russian market. "I'm asking that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they use to destroy people in Ukraine." 11/

Zelensky asks that the US close all of its ports for ALL Russian goods, saying that peace is more important than income. 12/

Zelensky says that wars of the past, that caused us to create institutions to protect us moving forward (NATO), no longer work: "They, unfortunately, don't work: we see it, you see it, so we need new institutions and alliances and we offer them and propose to create...13/

Zelesnky proposes a new kind of NATO called the U-24 United for Peace association that will work to stop all conflicts IMMEDIATELY, where every partner will provide assistance to the others in 24 hours. 14/

Zelensky says this new U-24 Association would prevent and stop all aggressors that seek to subjugate other nations and then he shows a video of Ukraine that highlights the attacks on civilian buildings and the people of Ukraine. (It's a powerful moment.) 15/

Video ends with a black screen caption that simply states: "Close the Sky over Ukraine." Zelensky resumes speaking in English: "Today it is not enough to be the leader of a nation, today it takes to be the leader of the world [which] means to be the leader of peace. 16/

Zelensky continues: "Strong doesn't mean big. Strong is brave and ready to fight for the lives of his citizens and citizens of the world...for the right to live." 17/

Zelensky: "Today the Ukrainian people are not only fighting for Ukraine, we are fighting for the values of Europe and the world, sacrificing our lives in the name of future." He asks Biden to be the leader of the world, the leader of peace and ends with "glory to Ukraine." 18/

Recap - Zelensky asked for:
1. No-fly Zone
2. Sanction ALL Putin politicians
3. Continue with aid, air defense, weapons
4. Start a new U-24 assoc. that works (unlike NATO)
5. More sanctions, no US business in Russia, close US ports
6. Biden to take world peace leadership role

Here is Ukrainian President Zelensky's closing to Congress (in English), after he has played a powerful video showing the mass casualties and attacks on Unrainina civilians that ends with this simple caption: "Close the Skies Over Ukraine."