Zelenskiy Arrives In Washington As Biden Expected To Announce Patriot Missiles For Ukraine
According to RFE/RL, Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskiy is due to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington on December 21 on his first trip abroad since the start of Russia's invasion as Congress prepares to vote on a sweeping spending bill that includes a provision to allocate more than $40 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskiy arrived at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington aboard a U.S. Air Force jet, a U.S. official confirmed, according to AP.
"During the visit, President Biden will announce a significant new package of security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression," the White House said in a statement, adding that Zelenskiy "will address a joint session of Congress, demonstrating the strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine."
Zelenskiy's adviser, MykhayloPodolyak, told Reuters that the visit is "extremely significant" and that it invalidates Moscow's attempts to drive a wedge between Washington and Kyiv by alleging bilateral relations are becoming cooler.
"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 in written comments.
"This, of course, is not even close," Podolyak added. "The United States unequivocally supports Ukraine."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California) sent a letter to members of the House of Representatives on December 21 outlining details of Zelenskiy's visit.
"It is with great pride and solemnity that, tonight, we will welcome President VolodymyrZelenskyy of Ukraine to address a Joint Meeting of Congress," she said, adding that the special session is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. local time.
"As the fight for freedom in Ukraine wages on, we look forward to hearing his inspiring message of courage, unity, and determination," Pelosi said.
A senior U.S. administration official said in a call with reporters on December 20 that, during Zelenskiy’s visit, the Biden administration will announce $1.8 billion in already approved military aid to Ukraine that will, for the first time, include a Patriot missile battery and precision guided bombs for their fighter jets.
Before addressing Congress, Zelenskiy is expected to meet one-on-one with Biden at the White House and hold talks with leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties.
"In the meeting tomorrow, President Biden will have the opportunity with President Zelenskiy to have an in-depth strategic discussion, on the way ahead on the battlefield, on the capabilities and training the U.S. and our allies continue to provide to Ukraine," the official said.
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