President Volodymyr Zelensky is travelling to the US to meet President Joe Biden at the White House – marking his first trip out of Ukraine in the 300 days since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the meeting, Mr Biden will announce that the US will send an additional $2bn in security assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of the Patriot missile defence system, and Mr Zelensky will give an in-person address before Congress.
As a show of gratitude for the US’s assistance during the war, the Ukrainian president is also expected to present Mr Biden and Congress with a Ukrainian flag signed by Ukrainian soldiers. Mr Zelensky was handed the flag on Tuesday when he paid a visit to the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut and met with Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline.
At around 6am UK time (1am ET), the Ukrainian president tweeted that he was on his way to the US.
“On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities of Ukraine. In particular, @POTUS and I will discuss cooperation between Ukraine and the US. I will also have a speech at the Congress and a number of bilateral meetings,” he said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the visit shows “the strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine.”
“The visit will underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance,” she said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The monumental visit to the US comes almost exactly 10 months after Russia declared war on Ukraine back on 24 February.
The White House has revealed that Mr Biden extended the invitation to his Ukrainian counterpart on 14 December but it remained a closely-guarded secret until Tuesday evening, when reporters were briefed on the condition of anonymity.
Now, the White House has released the schedule for Mr Zelensky’s visit. Here’s what we know:
2pm ET – Mr Biden will welcome Mr Zelensky on the South Lawn of the White House
2.30pm ET – Mr Biden and Mr Zelensky will hold a two-hour bilateral meeting in the Oval Office
4.30pm ET – Mr Biden and Mr Zelensky will hold a joint press conference
7.30pm ET – Mr Zelensky will then address a joint session in Congress after accepting an invitation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
