Intro: 300 days
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"The Ukrainian president may visit the White House as Congress votes on a $45 billion aid package
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky may be on his way to Washington, multiple US outlets reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources. While the administration of President Joe Biden would neither confirm nor deny the rumor, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter asking all members to attend in person on Wednesday for “a very special focus on Democracy.”
Officially, Zelensky has not left the country since Russia began its military operation on February 24. He has addressed anyone who would listen via video-link, including the UN Security Council, in breach of standing rules.
CNN cited “two sources familiar with the planning underway” claiming the former actor is to meet with Biden at the White House and address Congress on Wednesday evening, but that it all depends on security concerns. Axios added, citing “multiple senior leadership sources,” that the Capitol Police were already preparing security arrangements for the potential visit.
The rumored visit comes amid whispers in Washington that the US will finally announce the delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. Russia has explicitly warned that any NATO personnel operating them will be a legitimate target. Biden has strenuously insisted that neither the US nor its allies were actually a party to the conflict, even as he sent Kiev money, weapons, and ammunition worth billions of dollars.
The White House declined to comment on the Patriots or Zelensky’s potential visit. “I don’t know that that’s going to happen,” Pelosi said when asked by reporters. . .' READ MORE
The appearance would mark a potentially electrifying moment as Democratic control of the House — and Ms. Pelosi’s reign as speaker and a member of Democratic leadership — comes to a conclusion, with Republicans set to take over on Jan. 3.
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>... And, on a surprise visit to the battered city of Bakhmut
on Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky was presented with a flag by Ukrainian
soldiers who asked that he present it to Congress. .jpg)
He promised to give it to President Biden, according to Ukrainian media who joined him on the trip.While his office had no official comment on any looming trip, the moment was captured on camera. It was not clear, however, that Mr. Zelensky was actually preparing to imminently leave the country for the first time since the war began.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed on Twitter that he is on his way to Washington to meet with President Biden and address Congress.
✓ He also has a series of bilateral meetings planned.
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
Dec. 21, 2022, 4:49 a.m. ET
Anton Troianovski
Deliveries of new U.S. weapons to Ukraine will lead “to an aggravation of the conflict” and do “not bode well for Ukraine,” Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, told reporters on Wednesday. He also said that President Vladimir V. Putin will give an “important” and “rather voluminous” speech Wednesday at an annual Defense Ministry meeting.
Zelensky Takes Plea To Congress as Russia Pounds Ukraine: Live Updates
Here are the latest developments.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine will visit Washington on Wednesday to meet with President Biden and address Congress, where he will likely lay out his case for more military aid to fight off a wave of Russian attacks that has left millions without power and clean water.
The trip is Mr. Zelensky’s first outside Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. It is a bold move as Russian forces regularly target the nation’s energy, water and internet infrastructure. There were no signs that Russia or Ukraine is seeking a peaceful solution as the war entered its 300th day this week, with both sides preparing for renewed fighting.
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Ukrainian troops have slowed their advance after months of recapturing territory claimed illegally by Russia, and there is evidence that Russia might be preparing for another attack on Kyiv after it failed to capture the capital earlier this year. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia visited Belarus on Monday to meet with President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, stoking concern about a possible strike on Kyiv, which is just south of Belarus. The United States is said to be doubling the number of Ukrainian troops it trains in Germany, including in infantry tactics.
Mr. Zelensky has made providing electricity a priority for the winter, normally frigid and snowy across Ukraine. Russian attacks have left as many as 10 million people, about 20 percent of the prewar population, without power at a time, forcing Ukraine’s energy company to race to make repairs.
Here are the latest developments:
Congress proposed on Tuesday $44 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine, billions more than Mr. Biden requested in November. The package consists mostly of military spending, including nearly $20 billion to arm and equip Ukraine’s forces, and to replenish Defense Department stockpiles from which weapons are being sent to Kyiv
Mr. Biden will announce on Wednesday $1.8 billion in immediate aid for Ukraine that includes the most advanced U.S. ground-based air defense system, including a Patriot missile battery.
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