Photos show Ukrainians on the front line signing the flag Zelenskyy gave to Congress the next day

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented a Ukrainain flag to the US Congress Wednesday.
• Photos he issued the previous day showed soldiers giving him the signed flag.

On Wednesday, towards the end of his landmark address to Congress, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the chamber with a gift: a signed flag fresh from the battlefield.

The flag had come from Bakhmut, the site of the most intense fighting in Ukraine, where Zelenskyy made a high-risk visit on Tuesday.

During the trip, Zelenskyy issued photos of himself with soldiers there, including a seemingly unremarkable image of him with a flag.

At the time, plans for his visit to the US were a close-held secret. But, around a day and a half later, Zelenskyy was standing with the same flag in Washington, D.C., on his first trip outside of Ukraine.

"Together we are strength," one soldier had written in Ukrainian on the flag. "We are destined for success and victory," read the message from another.

Insider matched details of handwriting on the flag in each photo to confirm it they were the same, as seen below:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris held up the flag, displaying the messages from Ukrainian soldiers.

Zelenskyy said: "Our heroes gave me the flag — the battle flag, the flag of those who defend Ukraine, Europe, and the world, at the cost of their lives. They ask me to bring this flag to you, to the US Congress, to members of the House of Representatives and Senators, whose decisions can save millions of people."

"So let these decisions be taken. Let this flag stay with you, ladies and gentlemen. This flag is a symbol of our victory in this war. We stand. We fight."

In return, Pelosi presented Zelenskyy with a folded US flag that had recently flown over the Capitol.

Lawmakers at the joint session applauded the exchange and gave Zelenskyy a standing ovation.

Bakhmut has been the scene of fierce fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russians in recent weeks, and Zelenskyy said the city was a symbol of Ukrainian resilience.

"We will win because we are united, Ukraine, America, and the entire free world," Zelenskyy said.

In his address, Zelesnkyy said that Ukraine would never surrender to Russia, and that US support for Ukraine was not charity but an investment in its own security.