Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi paid a foreign visit for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia.

Zelensky went to the USA, where he addressed Congress and met with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

The Ukrainian leader's visit to Washington received a great response and made a great impression on the West.

TSN.ua collected the reaction of Western media to Zelenskyi's trip.

If ever a leader personified his nation, it was Volodymyr Zelenskyi, writes CNN.

"A staunch, defiant civilian forced to don a green military uniform, Ukraine's president spent Wednesday in Washington, D.C., on his daring first trip outside his country since Russia's brutal, unprovoked invasion in February. He expressed heartfelt thanks to America for its help weapons and ammunition worth many billions of dollars, but made it clear that he will never stop asking for more," the publication said.

As CNN notes, "the comedian-turned-wartime hero effectively put the fate of millions of Ukrainians in the hands of American lawmakers, taxpayers and families at a time when skepticism is growing among the Republican majority entering the House of Representatives about the cost of US intervention ".

Photo: Associated Press

According to The Washington Post, the visit, which was planned in great secrecy, took place at a key turning point, when Zelenskyi's army was preparing for brutal winter fighting and the future of his US support was in a period of uncertainty.

According to the publication, on Capitol Hill "there are fears that House Republicans may withdraw support when they win the hill in January and a new political balance is formed. Some members closely associated with former President Donald Trump, who is running for president again, expressed skepticism or outright opposition to continued support for a foreign war."

However, many other Republicans follow a different tactic and are strongly in favor of continuing to provide Ukraine with aid and weapons.

"The Ukrainian people are courageous and innocent, and they deserve our help," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said in a speech on Wednesday.

Photo: Associated Press

A few hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi called on US lawmakers to provide more aid to his country in its war with Russia on Wednesday night, the Senate blocked the adoption of a law that would have provided nearly $50 billion in such aid, The New York Times reports.

Senators left the Capitol Wednesday night without voting on a broad government funding package that includes aid to Ukraine along with a host of other initiatives.

The impasse over immigration policy quickly consumed precious time.

Lawmakers still have time to negotiate a fast-track deal, but senators hoped to approve it Wednesday as Zelensky thanked Congress for previous rounds of aid and stressed the importance of continued aid to his country in an unusual speech to Congress, The New York Times reported.

Photo: Associated Press

The British edition of The Guardian compared Zelensky's trip with Winston Churchill's visit to the United States during World War II.

"Churchill held a press conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and joined him in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. He also addressed Congress on the Senate floor on December 26, 1941. At the end of his half-hour speech, he flashed a V for victory, and one reporter remarked, "The effect was instant, electric.

The applause turned into a roar." The applause turned into a roar again when Zelensky, recalling Churchill, declared: "Ukraine holds its positions and will never surrender," the publication writes.

In addition, The Guardian notes, Zelenskyi was a polite guest, resisting the temptation to throw dust in his eyes and demand more.

But he noted: "Your money is not charity. It is an investment in global security and democracy, which we treat in the most responsible way."