Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected at the White House and on Capitol Hill next week as he visits the US during the United Nations General Assembly.
Zelensky's trip comes as Congress is debating President Joe Biden's request to provide as much as $24 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion.
An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive visit, said Zelensky will meet with Biden at the White House next Thursday. The trip to the Capitol was confirmed by two congressional aides granted anonymity to discuss the plans.
The Ukrainian president made a wartime visit to Washington in December 2022 and delivered an impassioned address to a joint meeting of Congress. At the time it was his first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February of that year.
In his speech to cheering lawmakers, Zelensky thanked Americans for helping to fund the war effort and said that the money is "not charity," but an "investment" in global security and democracy.
Details of Zelensky's visit next week were not yet being made public. It was first reported by Punchbowl News.
The White House National Security Council declined to comment on Zelensky's plans, including whether he would meet with Biden at the White House.
Meanwhile, as part of a multi-pronged counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces have recaptured a village in the country’s east after intense battles with Russian troops, the country's military said Friday.
The village of Andriivka — about 10 kilometers south of the Russia-occupied town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region — is the latest gain for Kyiv in a counteroffensive that has seen slow but steady gains by Ukrainian forces.
The announcement of reclaiming Andriivka came early Friday from the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces.
The 3rd Assault Brigade said it captured the village after surrounding the Russian garrison in Andriivka in what it described as a “lightning operation” and destroying it over two days. It described the capture of Andriivka as a breakthrough on the southern flank of Bakhmut and “key to success in all further directions.”
