Ukrainian Americans see Zelenskiy visit as promising sign, urge more U.S. support

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presents a Ukrainian flag given to him by defenders of Bakhmut to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), during a joint meeting of U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ukrainian Americans in Washington saw President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's U.S. visit as a promising sign that displayed strong relations between the countries but also urged more American assistance to defend against the Russian invasion.

Dozens of pro-Ukrainian activists gathered near the White House on Wednesday afternoon as Zelenskiy visited Washington for his first publicly known foreign trip since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24. The group called "U.S. Ukrainian Activists" then headed to the U.S. Capitol for Zelenskiy's address to the Congress.