Ukraine's Zelenskyy To Meet Biden, Address Congress In 1st Foreign Trip Since Putin's Invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit Washington on Wednesday amid Russia’s unprecedented war in Ukraine. 

What Happened: Marking his first known trip outside the country since Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February, Zelenskyy would address the Congress on Capitol Hill and meet his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden. 

On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities of �. In particular, @POTUS and I will discuss cooperation between � and �. I will also have a speech at the Congress and a number of bilateral meetings.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 21, 2022

Speaker Nancy Pelosi also urged lawmakers in a letter to be physically present at Capitol Hill for "a very special focus on Democracy Wednesday night." 

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"We are ending a very special session of the 117th Congress with legislation that makes progress for the American people as well as support for our Democracy," Pelosi wrote.

The U.S. is expected to announce a $1.8 billion package of military assistance for Kyiv, officials said on condition of anonymity. The billion-dollar package would include aid and Patriot missiles. 

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy last addressed Congress in March, shortly after Putin's invasion. Speaking to lawmakers by video conferencing from Ukraine, the president had then implored the U.S. lawmakers for immediate assistance and invoked parallels to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Pearl Harbor.

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