Washington, US: Ukraine’s President Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US leader Mr. Joe Biden and address Congress in Washington.

This is the first trip of Mr. Zelensky outside of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February of this year. The Ukrainian President will visit the White House and Biden will announce a new arms package worth almost $2 billion including Patriot air defense missiles.

Patriot missiles are seen to be essential in assisting Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, to repel severe Russian missile and drone attacks on its infrastructure.

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

According to the statement, the visit will “underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Mr. Zelensky is then expected to address a joint session of Congress, which House Speaker Ms. Nancy Pelosi told would be “a very special focus on democracy.”

The visit was privately organized, starting with a phone call between Mr. Biden and Mr. Zelensky on 11th December 2022, it was then officially confirmed one week later.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Zelensky will speak about the weapons and training that the US and its allies give, sanctions and other forms of pressure on Russia, as well as the need for economic and humanitarian aid in Ukraine, according to a senior White House official.

The visit will send Mr. Putin “a strong message of unity and resolve from the White House, from Washington, from the free world, on behalf of all the nations supporting Ukraine,” as per the report.

WORLD ROUNDUP: House Ways and Means Committee votes to release Trump’s tax returns