Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intends to make a surprise visit to Washington on Wednesday, the first time the leader has left his war-torn country since Russia invaded ten months ago.
Zelenskyy’s plans to appear at a joint session of Congress and at the White House as the Biden administration plans to announce the delivery of a Patriot missile battle system to help Ukraine with its air defenses, according to two people familiar with the plans but not authorized to publicly discuss for security concerns.
The trip is not certain to happen, the people cautioned. Zelenskyy was still in Ukraine Tuesday evening, and there are concerns about his ability to leave his country and then return again.
His visit to Washington would come as Congress is on the verge of passing another $45 billion in assistance to Kyiv in the year-end omnibus bill, which would bring the total to over $100 billion in emergency aid from the United States.
News of Zelenskyy’s planned trip was first reported by Punchbowl News.