President of Ukraine : Yushchenko speaks to Congress

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"We wish to discover the truth about all tragedies that have occurred in the past years," he said. He cited, in particular, the September 2000 assassination of Georgiy Gongadze, a 31-year-old journalist killed as he left a friend's house.

"Not only the perpetrators, but those who contracted those crimes will be held responsible," Mr. Yushchenko said. "Everybody who was killing politicians and journalists will stand trial, everybody who led the country to the splitup."

To hearty cheers, prolonged applause and even chants, like those that last year filled Kiev streets, of "Yush-chen-ko, Yush-chen-ko," the Ukrainian leader thanked Americans for what he said had been "clear and unambiguous" support in the weeks between a presidential election marred by widespread allegations of fraud and the holding of a second election, in which he prevailed.

Mr. Yushchenko has become a leading symbol for the promotion of democracy, both among many American lawmakers and with an administration that has made that a central objective.