Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to meet with Biden, address Congress - USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with President Joe Biden and code Congress Wednesday in his first travel extracurricular his country since Russia began its convulsive penetration of Ukraine successful February.

Biden invited Zelenskyy to Washington to reinforce the U.S. "stands with Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes," according to a elder Biden medication authoritative who discussed the travel connected the information of anonymity.

During their meeting, Biden volition perpetrate $2 cardinal successful further U.S. information assistance to send Patriot antimissile batteries to Ukraine amid the bombardment of cities by Russian missiles and drones.

Zelenskyy's joint code to Congress, acceptable for later successful the evening, comes arsenic lawmakers prepare to ballot connected an additional $45 billion successful exigency assistance to Ukraine. The U.S. has provided astir $68 cardinal successful military, economical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since unit between it and Russia renewed.

More: Plotting the locations of 'one of the biggest rocket attacks' Russia has unleashed connected Ukraine

Zelenskyy's sojourn volition people the 300th day since Russia invaded Ukraine. In a letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested lawmakers should question to Washington Wednesday for a "very peculiar absorption connected democracy" that night.

“To person a implicit and full leader successful the Congress of the United States, warring for democracy, starring radical who are warring for democracy, would bring grant to the Congress of the United States,” Pelosi told reporters.

Zelenskyy's travel volition be the archetypal clip the Ukrainian president has near his state since Russia's attack. But it is not the archetypal clip helium has visited the U.S. - helium met with Biden successful September 2021, posing in the Oval Office for photos with the president and discussing matters of authorities applicable to some nations.

Biden and Zelenskyy discussed the upcoming visit during a Dec. 11 telephone call, according to the official, and the White House formally extended the invitation past Wednesday. Zelenskyy accepted Sunday. The U.S. consulted with Zelenskyy connected information parameters, the authoritative said, and Zelenskyy signed off.

Biden and Zelenskyy volition sermon "every element" of Russia's warfare successful Ukraine including "where the war goes from here," the authoritative said. 

White House spokesperson John Kirby, speaking astatine a briefing past week, said the Biden medication has "no expectation" that wintertime volition quell warring successful the region.

"No indications, surely nary expectations, that by year's extremity determination volition beryllium an extremity of war," Kirby said. "None of the indicators are pointing successful that direction."

Lawmakers are rushing to walk earlier Christmas a $1.7 trillion spending package that includes $45 cardinal for Ukraine, a boost from the $37 cardinal Biden had requested for the latest circular of assistance. The summation comes amid interest that funding may beryllium harder to walk adjacent twelvemonth erstwhile Republicans instrumentality power of the House.

More: Russian Strike: 60 missiles launched into 4 Ukraine cities

In a video released Tuesday by his office, Zelenskyy hinted astatine his travel to the U.S. arsenic helium was handed a Ukrainian emblem portion helium was successful the Ukrainian metropolis of Bakhmut,

“The guys handed implicit our beautiful Ukrainian emblem with their signatures for america to walk on,” Zelenskyy said successful the video. “We are not successful an casual situation. The force is expanding its army, and our radical are braver and request much almighty weapons. We volition walk it connected from the boys to the Congress, to the President of the United States. We are grateful for their support, but it is not enough. It is simply a hint – it is not enough.”

The mobile Patriot rocket strategy is 1 of the astir precocious successful the U.S. arsenal and tin sprout down craft oregon ballistic missiles successful each upwind conditions.

Ukraine is hopeless for aerial defence systems to antagonistic the barrage of Russian missiles and drones aimed astatine powerfulness stations and different civilian targets. U.S. officials recognition Ukraine’s ingenuity with older, Soviet-era aerial defence systems for denying Russia the quality to summation power of Ukrainian airspace.

Patriot batteries are successful precocious request astir the satellite and necessitate extended grooming to operate.

Contributing: Associated Press