Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on his way to the US for a summit with Joe Biden.
It is the first time Zelenskyy has left Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.
Writing on Twitter, President Zelenskyy said the meeting aimed to ‘strengthen the resilience and defence capabilities’ of Ukraine.
He noted that he will also address Congress during his visit.
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
A senior US official said the Ukrainian president will meet President Biden, his national security team and congressional leaders today.
The official said President Biden’s message will be that Washington “will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes”.
President Biden is expected to announce plans to send Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, with training provided by the US military in a third country.
Washington is also sending precision-guided bombs for Ukrainian fighter jets.
