Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is on his way to Washington, where he will meet US President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
It’s his first foreign trip since the Russian invasion in February.
The White House has also confirmed the trip and said it will supply Ukraine with a Patriot missile battery, significantly increasing the country’s air defence capability.
Tuesday marked 300 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky will also address Congress and hold a number of bilateral meetings.
“On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities of Ukraine,” he wrote on Twitter.
Mr Zelensky regularly hosts foreign leaders in the capital, Kyiv, and has visited troops around Ukraine. He made an unannounced visit to the front-line city of Bakhmut on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president has also spoken frequently to world leaders over the telephone and by video call – often from his office in Kyiv.
But an unannounced visit to a foreign country marks a first since the war began and also signals the importance of Ukraine’s relationship with the US, which has played a leading role in providing military support.
The new Patriot missile system promised by the US will enable Ukraine to protect its vital infrastructure against Russian attacks. Ukrainian officials have long been appealing for more powerful air defence systems from the West.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s energy sector, plunging millions into darkness in winter with temperatures several degrees below freezing.
BBC
