Massachusetts congresswoman describes call with Ukrainian president

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been at the forefront of the opposition to Russia’s invasion — and he recently spoke to members of Congress over Zoom, including Massachusetts U.S. Reps. Lori Trahan, Bill Keating and Seth Moulton and Sen. Ed Markey.

The conversation came before Congress approved a $13.6 billion aid package for Ukraine, which provides humanitarian and military assistance.

In an interview, Trahan, a Lowell Democrat, said it was a conversation she would never forget — the man Zelenskyy is portrayed as in the media is the same man she saw on the Zoom call.

“He is an incredible leader for this moment,” Trahan said. “Unbelievable conviction, unwavering in his confidence on defending freedom and democracy.”

Citing Zelenskyy’s famous comment that he needs “more ammunition, not a ride,” she said it is clear that neither he nor his people are intimidated by the Russian threat. She said around the world, nations are rallying together against Putin’s “totally unjustified invasion.”

During the call, Zelenskyy offered his gratitude to the United States, Trahan said. However, he called for America and its allies to do more — for lawmakers to ban Russian oil imports and for Visa and Mastercard to suspend transactions in Russia, moves that would later come to pass.

At the core of Zelenskyy’s message to American lawmakers is that his people are fighting for their freedom, the Lowell congresswoman said.

“They didn’t want this invasion. They don’t want to fight Russian troops, but they’ve been left with no choice, and that couldn’t be more obvious to those of us watching,” Trahan said. “We know Ukraine has the capability to launch retaliatory strikes against Russia and against Belarus, where missiles hitting innocent civilians are being launched from, but they’ve chosen not to, and that appears to be an additional show that Ukraine is not the aggressor in this. They don’t want this war, and they don’t want innocent people to die on either side of the conflict.”

During the call, Zelenskyy also urged the U.S. to establish a no-fly zone over his country. However, the Biden administration has pushed back on the idea, concerned it could further escalate the situation and drag the U.S. directly into the war.

Trahan said the issue of a no-fly zone was complicated; however, she has been opposed to American troops being deployed to Ukraine and engaging with Russian forces directly.

“If you’re going to issue a no-fly zone, you’re basically putting U.S. troops in Ukraine, fighting Russian forces, because you have to be prepared to shoot planes out of the sky,” Trahan said.