RIYADH: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused a "terrorist" Iran of supporting Russian attacks on his country's critical infrastructure and urged US officials to act quickly to avoid provoking Tehran against Washington's friends.

Iran is Russia's ally in this program of genocide, Zelensky told a packed joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday. “Hundreds of deadly drones deployed by Iran in Russia put our critical infrastructure at risk. That's how one terrorist discovered another.

According to Western sources, Iran provided Russia with drones that were used to attack energy infrastructure in Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians are now without running water or heat as a result of the attacks.

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Ukraine's president warned lawmakers that a strike against one of his colleagues was only a matter of time and urged them to take steps to stop it.

For years, groups with ties to Iran have launched attacks against the US and its allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have drawn condemnation from other countries.

Iranian-backed Houthi militias from Yemen have fired missiles at the Kingdom, killing people and damaging infrastructure such as oil refineries and public airports.

As part of a $1.85 billion military aid package in the conflict with Russia, the US will provide Ukraine with the powerful Patriot missile defense system.

According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the aid includes a $1 billion drawdown to give Ukraine "enhanced air defense and precision-strike capabilities" and an additional $850 million in security assistance.

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In his first trip abroad since the invasion of Russia in February, Zelensky was asking for "guns, weapons and more weapons" when the package arrived. He was going to Washington to meet President Joe Biden.

In light of ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on the country's electricity and water supplies, Zelensky said the visit was meant to enhance Ukraine's "resilience and defense capabilities".

In a joint news conference with Zelensky on Wednesday, Biden insisted that Russia's Vladimir Putin had no plans to stop "this terrible war".

He claimed that the US and Ukraine have common goals for a "free, independent, economic and secure Ukraine".

According to Biden, Zelensky "will be able to succeed because he will win on the battlefield" when he is ready to negotiate a deal with Moscow.

According to Zelensky, a "fair peace" with Russia entails maintaining Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity at all costs.
According to Mykhailo Podolić, Zelensky's political adviser, the visit "puts a halt to attempts by the Russian side to prove an apparent growing chill in our relations."

I personally have to explain why we need specific types of weapons in this world of weapons, weapons and more weapons. Armored vehicles, modern missile defense systems, and especially long-range missiles.

John Kirby, a White House spokesman, said: "Obviously, we're going to make sure President Zelensky knows when he leaves this country.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin was defiant on Wednesday at a year-end conference of defense commanders, saying Russian forces fighting in Ukraine like heroes would have contemporary weapons and meet all of Moscow's objectives. will do.

Since the summer, Russia has been repeatedly defeated on the battlefield amid widespread claims of disorganization, inadequate training and subpar supplies.

Putin claimed that there were no budgetary restrictions on the government's funding of the armed forces, but that military leaders would have to learn from and address the issues in Ukraine.

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He supported his defense minister's proposal to increase the size of the armed forces by more than 30% to 1.5 million combatants. 300,000 reservists were called up in September, but there were issues, including many men who were physically unfit or too old and lacking basic necessities.

According to Putin, who described Ukrainians as a "brotherly" people, "third countries that desire the collapse of the Russian world" are to blame for the conflict. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is, according to the West, an imperialist land grab. The West has dismissed it as folly.