Zelenskiy to meet congressional leaders in Washington on Wednesday – reports
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will travel to Washington on Wednesday where he is expected to visit the White House and the US Capitol, according several US media reports.
Zelenskiy is expected to meet congressional leadership and national security committee chiefs from the Republican and Democratic parties, and might address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, news outlets reported..
The trip, which would be Zelenskiy’s first known foreign visit since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, could still be called off at the last minute due to security concerns.But if it goes ahead, the visit is set to include an address to Congress on Capitol Hill and a meeting with President Joe Biden. It comes as lawmakers are due to vote on a year-end spending package that includes about $45bn in emergency assistance to Ukraine and the US prepares to send Patriot surface-to-air missiles to the country to help stave off Russia’s invasion.
The latest tranche of US funding would be the biggest American infusion of assistance yet to Ukraine, above even President Joe Biden’s $37bn emergency request, and ensure that funding flows to the war effort for months to come.
Earlier on Tuesday, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said there would be a session of Congress on Wednesday night which would have a “very special focus on democracy”.
Pelosi’s remarks, which came in a letter, did not elaborate on what the session would be about. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported visit by Zelenskiy.
US Representative Marcy Kaptur, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, told CBS News there were ongoing efforts to bring Zelenskiy to the Capitol on Wednesday and to have him address Congress.
“We’d be very honored to have him visit. I’m amazed he can make it in view of the situation. It’d be a great gift to have him at the Capitol. We’re working with the leadership to be helpful. We personally understand if he cannot make it last minute,” Kaptur was quoted as saying by CBS News.
Zelenskiy has – almost daily – addressed various parliaments and international organizations by video and has sent his wife to foreign capitals to drum up assistance against the Russian invasion.
He previously addressed Congress by video link in March. Wearing a green T-shirt with the Ukrainian flag behind him, Zelenskiy argued that the US and Ukraine shared common dreams and goals.
His planned visit to Washington comes in the final days of Pelosi’s House speakership. Republicans will take control of the House in January, while Democrats retain power in the Senate. While Republicans set to chair key national security committees push for continued support of Ukraine, there are divisions within the party over the cost and duration of the effort.
News of the visit comes hours after Zelenskiy’s office announced that the Ukrainian leader made a surprise visit to the embattled city of Bakhmut, which has largely been ravaged after nearly five months of fighting and has been referred to by both sides as the “Bakhmut meat-grinder”.
In a video released by his office from the Bakhmut visit, Zelenskiy was handed a Ukrainian flag and alluded to delivering it to US leaders.
“The guys handed over our beautiful Ukrainian flag with their signatures for us to pass on,” Zelenskiy said in the video. “We are not in an easy situation. The enemy is increasing its army. Our people are braver and need more powerful weapons. We will pass it on from the boys to the Congress, to the president of the United States. We are grateful for their support, but it is not enough. It is a hint – it is not enough.”