By Jonathan Broder and JM Rieger

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issued an impassioned plea for U.S. weaponry Thursday to help his country’s defense against Russia and the Ukrainian separatists that Moscow has been supporting for the past year. Speaking before a rare joint meeting of Congress, the Ukrainian leader acknowledged the non-lethal military aid that the Obama administration has provided Ukraine so far. But he said Ukrainian soldiers needed weapons. “They need more military equipment, both lethal and non-lethal,” Poroshenko said to loud applause and one of many standing ovations from lawmakers assembled in the House chamber. “Blankets and night-vision goggles are important, but they can’t win the war with blankets.”