Zelensky Will Meet With Biden in Washington and Address Congress, Officials Say - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine volition conscionable with President Biden astatine the White House connected Wednesday and aboriginal present a prime-time code to a associated league of Congress, a daring travel overseas intended to reaffirm American enactment for his country, White House officials announced precocious Tuesday night.

“Three 100 days ago, Russia launched a brutal battle against Ukraine,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House property secretary, said successful a connection confirming Mr. Zelensky’s travel to Washington. “The sojourn volition underscore the United States’ steadfast committedness to supporting Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes, including done the proviso of economic, humanitarian and subject assistance.”

Senior medication officials, who spoke connected the information of anonymity due to the fact that of concerns astir Mr. Zelensky’s safety, said the risks progressive successful specified a sojourn — with the wartime person leaving his state for the archetypal clip since Russia invaded Ukraine successful February — were high, and that readying for his accomplishment had been conducted nether aggravated secrecy.

Mr. Zelensky volition get successful the United States astir 10 months aft President Vladimir V. Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine and arsenic Congress considers approving astir $50 cardinal successful assistance to assistance Ukraine’s forces conflict Russia adjacent year. That would bring the full magnitude of American assistance to much than $100 billion.

“He’s a nationalist and planetary leader — I’m delighted to beryllium capable to perceive from him,” Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said Tuesday aft proceeding of Mr. Zelensky’s visit.

The Ukrainian president’s travel comes arsenic Russia’s battle heads into a second, brutal year. Russia’s hopes for a speedy decision of Ukraine failed, but person fixed mode to a bid of grinding and devastating attacks connected civilians that person near large cities without vigor oregon energy successful the bitter acold of Ukraine’s winter.

During his gathering with Mr. Biden astatine the White House, Mr. Zelensky is acceptable to judge the latest American pledge of subject assistance: a highly blase Patriot rocket artillery that elder medication officials said would supply Ukraine with acold amended defenses against aerial attacks from Russian missiles and drones. The rocket artillery volition beryllium portion of a astir $2 cardinal bundle of information assistance that volition besides see different enactment for Ukraine’s aerial defenses.

White House officials said the announcement of the caller information bundle by the American president — with Mr. Zelensky by his broadside — was meant to nonstop a almighty connection to Mr. Putin and different satellite leaders, on with radical successful Ukraine and America, that Mr. Biden would not waver successful his efforts to assistance Ukraine decision its Russian aggressors.

In her connection Tuesday night, Ms. Jean-Pierre said the gathering of the 2 leaders would “underscore the United States’ enduring committedness to Ukraine” and was portion of a continuing effort by Mr. Biden to rally “the satellite to enactment the radical of Ukraine arsenic they support their sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

A elder medication authoritative said that Mr. Biden would not travel to the gathering connected Wednesday “with a connection that is astir pushing oregon prodding oregon poking Zelensky successful immoderate way” toward uncovering a diplomatic extremity to the warfare with Russia. The official, who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the travel had not been formally announced, said Russia had fixed nary denotation it was consenting to prosecute successful good-faith talks astir ending the war.

But the authoritative besides said Mr. Biden would not let the United States to beryllium drawn into an progressive warfare with Russia connected Ukraine’s behalf, a pledge the president had made earlier Russian forces entered Ukraine astatine the extremity of February.

After gathering with Mr. Biden and members of his nationalist information team, Mr. Zelensky is expected to clasp a quality league astatine the White House, officials said. He volition past caput to Capitol Hill for what is apt to beryllium an electrifying quality earlier a associated league of Congress arsenic Democratic power of the House — and the reign of Representative Nancy Pelosi of California arsenic talker — nears its end.

While Mr. Biden has vowed to proceed his enactment “for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes,” helium faces immoderate absorption successful Congress, wherever Republicans are poised to instrumentality power of the House connected Jan. 3. Just hours earlier quality of Mr. Zelensky’s sojourn broke, Republican leaders successful that enclosure had instructed rank-and-file lawmakers to reason a astir $1.7 trillion spending measure that includes the Ukraine aid.

Some Republicans successful the House person repeatedly opposed erstwhile packages that sent billions of dollars successful subject and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, suggesting the wealth is wasteful oregon amended spent successful the United States. On Tuesday, Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a far-right Republican, posted connected Twitter scoffing astatine the merchandise of the caller aid.

Others indicated precocious Tuesday that their enactment for Ukrainian assistance would beryllium outweighed by their absorption to the spending measure, which indispensable beryllium passed by Friday to debar a authorities shutdown. Senator Kevin Cramer, Republican of North Dakota, said voting against the spending measure “doesn’t mean we don’t enactment Ukraine.”

“Our archetypal work is to the radical we enactment for, not the radical helium works for,” helium said of Mr. Zelensky.

The spending bill, including the backing for Ukraine, is expected to wide Congress by the extremity of the week, though votes for last transition person not yet been scheduled.

Mr. Zelensky’s travel to the United States was acceptable successful question 9 days agone during a telephone telephone betwixt the 2 leaders, a elder medication authoritative said. The White House formally invited Mr. Zelensky a week ago, and plans for a code to Congress began successful earnest connected Sunday, erstwhile the authorities of Ukraine confirmed his volition to question to the United States.

In the archetypal days and weeks of the full-scale Russian invasion, a Russian onslaught intended to instrumentality vantage of the leader’s lack mightiness person stirred disorder successful the Ukrainian military. But 10 months into the war, nary salient subject expert has precocious questioned Ukrainian bid and power of the military.

However, Russia’s subject and governmental enactment person an arsenal of missiles that are regularly fired astatine Ukraine, and a barrage timed for a statesmanlike travel overseas would beryllium wrong Russia’s capabilities. Such a salvo mightiness service arsenic a distraction for Mr. Zelensky oregon arsenic a awesome to Ukrainians oregon American officials that Russia has options to respond to deepening U.S.-Ukrainian ties.

Before quality of his sojourn was archetypal reported by Punchbowl News connected Tuesday evening, determination were suggestions that an antithetic league of Congress was successful the works. Ms. Pelosi had sent a missive to each House lawmakers earlier successful the day, asking them to be the Wednesday nighttime league successful idiosyncratic adjacent though they person the quality to ballot remotely.

“We are ending a precise peculiar league of the 117th Congress with authorities that makes advancement for the American radical arsenic good arsenic enactment for our democracy. Please beryllium contiguous for a precise peculiar absorption connected ideology Wednesday night,” Ms. Pelosi wrote.

Mr. Zelensky himself did not corroborate his travel to the United States during a surprise sojourn to the battered metropolis of Bakhmut connected Tuesday. Mr. Zelensky was fixed a emblem by Ukrainian soldiers who asked that helium contiguous it to Congress. He promised to springiness it to Mr. Biden, according to Ukrainian media who joined him connected the trip.

While his bureau had nary authoritative remark connected immoderate imminent trip, the infinitesimal was captured connected camera. It was not clear, however, that Mr. Zelensky was really preparing to permission the state for the archetypal clip since the warfare began.

As the quality of the imaginable sojourn emerged connected Tuesday, aggregate senators acknowledged it would beryllium preferable for the Senate to walk the spending measurement — including the information assistance for Ukraine — earlier Mr. Zelensky speaks to Congress.

“That would correspond a best-case scenario,” said Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican. The spending measure passed a procedural hurdle connected Tuesday with a resounding 70 to 25 vote.

A fewer lawmakers acknowledged that they had learned of the imaginable sojourn precocious Tuesday, but astir lawmakers and aides appeared stunned by the news. While aggregate elder lawmakers, including Ms. Pelosi and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the number leader, person made trips to Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky has not near since the warfare began. He spoke to Congress virtually earlier this year.

“That President Zelensky is going to marque his archetypal travel extracurricular the state since the warfare began to talk to us, to convey america and to situation america to proceed to enactment the Ukrainian people, I deliberation is the cleanable ending to 2 years wherever President Biden has had immoderate landmark successes,” said Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, who described Mr. Biden’s occurrence rallying NATO and European allies down Ukraine’s combat arsenic the biggest planetary accomplishment this year.

Reporting was contributed by Carl Hulse and Annie Karni from Washington, Andrew E. Kramer from Kyiv, and Marc Santora from Warsaw.