Storella Interviewed Ahead of Zelenskyy’s Address to U.S. Congress
Ambassador Mark Storella, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Director of the School’s African Studies Center, discussed the importance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s visit to Washington, D.C. in an interview on Fox‘s “LiveNOW.”
Storella noted that the invitation to speak before a joint session of Congress is one of the highest honors the United States can pay to any foreign leader. He said inevitably Zelensky’s appearance will be compared with Winston Churchill’s wartime appearance before Congress 81 years ago when the British Prime Minister appealed to the U.S. to see the Second World War through. Storella suggested Zelensky might even quote Churchill from another speech before the U.S. entered the war: “Give us the tools and we will finish the job.”
According to Storella, Zelensky will have a delicate task. He said the Ukrainian President will need to appeal across the aisle at a time when some Republicans have misgivings about ongoing military aid to Ukraine. To do so, Zelensky will likely deliver his appeal in terms of enduring American and western values, making clear that Ukraine’s struggle is not just for the people of Ukraine but for the values the American people hold dear, as well.
The full interview can be viewed here.
Ambassador Mark C. Storella was a United States Foreign Service Officer for over three decades serving as Ambassador to Zambia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, and Dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Storella is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Excellence in Service Award, the Thomas Jefferson Award presented by American Citizens Abroad, and several Department of State superior and meritorious honor awards. Learn more about Ambassador Storella on his faculty profile.