Ukraine news – live: Zelensky likely headed to Washington to meet Biden after visiting Bakhmut - The Independent

Volodymyr Zelensky is apt to scope Washington contiguous to conscionable Joe Biden and sojourn Congress, marking his archetypal sojourn retired of Kyiv aft Vladimir Putin launched an penetration of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president is already connected his mode to the US, reported CNN citing 2 sources.

Mr Zelensky and Mr Biden are expected to conscionable astatine the White House arsenic Ukraine presses connected its request for much aerial defence systems to antagonistic Russian rocket strikes.

The sojourn volition travel conscionable 2 days aft Mr Putin met his state successful the Ukraine warfare and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, stoking fears that Minsk could assistance Russia prolong the penetration done hard wintertime months.

The high-level sojourn volition coincide with the Biden administration’s plans to nonstop the astir precocious aerial defence rocket systems to Kyiv to thwart incoming attacks from Russian forces.

Mr Zelensky reached Bakhmut connected Tuesday – the hottest spot of the ongoing warfare successful Ukraine – and met with the Ukrainian soldiers warring connected the beforehand line.