Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on his way to Washington for a summit with President Joe Biden and an address to a joint session of Congress in his first known foreign trip since Russia's invasion began in February. The highly sensitive trip is taking place after 10 months of a brutal war that has seen tens of thousands killed and wounded on both sides of the conflict, along with devastation for Ukrainian civilians.
It also comes as US politicians are set to vote on a year-end spending package that includes about 45 billion dollars (£36.9b) in emergency assistance to Ukraine and as the Pentagon prepares to send Patriot surface-to-air missiles to the country to defend itself. Mr Zelensky headed abroad after making a daring and dangerous trip on Tuesday to what he called the hottest spot on the 800-mile front line of the conflict, the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's contested Donetsk province.
He praised Ukrainian troops for their "courage, resilience and strength" as artillery boomed in the background. In a statement on Tuesday night, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden looks forward to the visit and that the address to Congress will demonstrate "the strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine".
