Zelenskyy is on his way to the US - Ukrainian President Twitter
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on his way to Washington, DC for meetings with his counterpart Joe Biden and legislators at the US Congress, says the White House.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit President Biden at the White House on Wednesday and will address Congress in a trip aimed at underscoring U.S. support for the country as Russia's war against its neighbor drags on.
During the visit, Biden will announce nearly $2 billion in new security aid, including a Patriot surface-to-air missile battery, a senior administration official told reporters on a conference call. The United States will train Ukraine's military how to use the Patriot in a third country, the official said, noting it will take time before it is operational in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president's visit is the first to the U.S. since Russia launched its attack in February. It also comes as lawmakers are preparing to vote on an omnibus spending bill that includes $44.9 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the US is “extremely significant” and will disprove Russian attempts to show that US-Ukrainian relations are slowing down, a presidential adviser said.
Political adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told the Reuters news agency in written comments that Zelenskyy’s trip provides an opportunity to explain the situation in Ukraine, what weapons Kyiv needs and why.
“Firstly, both the visit itself and the level of planned meetings unequivocally testify to the high degree of trust between the countries. Secondly, this finally puts an end to the attempts by the Russian side … to prove an allegedly growing cooling in our bilateral relations,” Podolyak said.
“This, of course, is not even close. The United States unequivocally supports Ukraine.”
He added: “In my opinion, the visit will undoubtedly activate and optimise key areas of military cooperation, further mobilise bipartisan political support and more clearly paint a picture of the future if the war is not ended correctly”.
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