US President Joe Biden is expected to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Wednesday, CNN reported quoting sources.
According to the report, preparations are underway for both leaders to meet at the White House, where the discussions would largely surround providing military aid to Kyiv.
Though the contents of the discussions have not been revealed due to security reasons, reports claim that it will be released to provide a new defence assistance package that will include Patriot missile systems. There are also reports of Zelensky’s possible address to Congress later in the day.
Notably, this would be Zelensky’s first trip outside Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February of this year. He has only appeared virtually at the international summit to make his case for more military funding.
So far, White House officials have remained tight-lipped on the potential meeting. Even the US House Speaker refused to divulge further information.
According to AP news agency, she has urged all lawmakers to be present for Wednesday evening’s session.
“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 Tuesday in a letter to colleagues. “Please be present for a very special focus on Democracy Wednesday night.”
US has been one of the largest providers of military support to Ukraine, already providing an estimated $50 billion in total aid, including some $20 billion in security assistance.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Zelensky visited Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut, where Ukrainian and Russian troops are engaged in an intense face-off, and described the war-battered city as a frontline “fortress.”
“Here in Donbas, you’re protecting all of Ukraine… They will do everything they’ve done here in other towns of our country because they don’t want anything Ukrainian to exist, I’m sure of that,” Zelensky told his troops in Bakhmut.
“This is not just Bakhmut, this is fortress Bakhmut,” he said, handing out honours to Ukraine servicemen.
The unannounced trip came even as Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet senior military officials on Wednesday to weigh up Russia’s full-scale assault on Ukraine so far and set goals for next year after a series of battlefield defeats.
