WASHINGTON – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with President Joe Biden and address Congress on Wednesday in his first trip outside the country since Russia launched a violent invasion of Ukraine in February.
Zelensky was invited to Washington to bolster the U.S., according to a senior Biden administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the trip.
During their meeting, Biden will pledge $2 billion in additional U.S. security aid to send Patriot antimissile batteries to Ukraine amid Russian missiles and drone bombardment of cities.
Zelenskyi Joint address to Congress, set for It comes later in the evening, as lawmakers prepare to vote on an additional $45 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine. The US has provided nearly $68 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the renewed violence between Ukraine and Russia.
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Zelensky’s visit will mark the 300th day since Russia invaded Ukraine. In a letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that lawmakers travel to Washington on Wednesday to “focus very specifically on democracy” that night.
“Having a complete and utter hero in the Congress of the United States, leading the people fighting for democracy, fighting for democracy, would bring honor to the Congress of the United States,” Pelosi told reporters.
Zelensky’s trip will be the first time a Ukrainian president has left his country since the Russian invasion. But it’s not the first time he’s visited the US — he met with Biden in September 2021, posed in the Oval Office for photos with the president and discussed matters of state concerning the two nations.
Biden and Zelensky discussed the upcoming meeting during a Dec. 11 phone call, according to the official, and the White House formally extended the invitation last Wednesday. Zelenskyy admitted on Sunday. The U.S. consulted with Zelensky on the security measures, the official said, and Zelensky signed off.
Biden and Zelensky will discuss “every element” of Russia’s war in Ukraine, including “where the war goes from here,” the official said.
White House spokesman John Kirby, speaking at a briefing last week, said the Biden administration has “no expectation” that winter will quell fighting in the region.
“There are no indications, certainly no expectations, that the war will end by the end of the year,” Kirby said. “None of the indicators point in that direction.”
Lawmakers are rushing to pass a $1.7 trillion spending package before Christmas that includes $45 billion for Ukraine, the $37 billion Biden requested for the latest round of aid. The increase comes amid concerns that funding could be harder to pass next year when Republicans take control of the House.
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In a video released by his office on Tuesday, Zelensky signaled his visit to the US as he was presented with a Ukrainian flag while in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
“Our beautiful Ukrainian flag with his signatures was handed over to us,” Zelenskiy said in the video. “We are not in an easy situation. The enemy is increasing his army, and our people are brave and need more powerful weapons. We’ll take it from boys to Congress, to the President of the United States. We are grateful for their support, but it is not enough. That’s a sign – it’s not enough.
The mobile Patriot missile system is the most advanced in the US arsenal and can shoot down aircraft or ballistic missiles in all weather conditions.
Ukraine is desperate for an air defense system to counter a barrage of Russian missiles and drones aimed at power stations and other civilian targets. US officials credit Ukraine’s ingenuity with outdated, Soviet-era air defense systems for denying Russia’s ability to gain control of Ukrainian airspace.
Patriot batteries are in high demand all over the world and require extensive training to operate.
Contributed by: Associated Press
