Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to visit Washington on Wednesday - NPR

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a property briefing aft the International Summit connected Food Security successful Kyiv connected Nov. 26 amid the Russian penetration of Ukraine. Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a property briefing aft the International Summit connected Food Security successful Kyiv connected Nov. 26 amid the Russian penetration of Ukraine.

Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy volition sojourn President Biden astatine the White House connected Wednesday and code a associated league of Congress successful a travel aimed astatine underscoring U.S. enactment for the state arsenic Russia's warfare against its neighbour drags on.

During the visit, Biden volition denote astir $2 cardinal successful caller information aid, including a Patriot surface-to-air rocket battery, a elder medication authoritative told reporters connected a league call. The United States volition bid Ukraine's subject however to usage the Patriot successful a 3rd country, the authoritative said, noting it volition instrumentality clip earlier it is operational successful Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president's sojourn is the archetypal to the U.S. since Russia launched its onslaught successful February. It besides comes arsenic lawmakers are preparing to ballot connected an omnibus spending measure that includes $44.9 cardinal successful exigency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies.

Congress is voting connected sending much aid

The U.S. has been a beardown state of Ukraine successful its warfare against Russia. So far, lawmakers person provided implicit $65 cardinal successful assistance to Ukraine, including humanitarian aid.

Some Republicans successful the House person expressed interest astir the billions of dollars of subject and economical assistance sent to the state since the warfare began. In October, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said helium was wary astir giving Ukraine a "blank check." McCarthy is poised to go Speaker of the House successful January.

The elder medication authoritative insisted that the fanfare astir the sojourn was not aimed astatine quelling complaints astir the spending.

"This isn't astir sending a connection to a peculiar governmental enactment — this is astir sending a connection to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and sending a connection to the satellite that America volition beryllium determination for Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes," the authoritative said, noting the size of the legislature bundle demonstrates that determination is "broad, heavy and bipartisan" enactment for the aid.

Zelenskyy antecedently addressed Congress via video from the Ukrainian superior Kyiv successful March. He called connected lawmakers to nonstop further enactment astatine that time, too. This time, helium volition beryllium making his entreaty successful person.