The administration is expected to announce a major new arms package for Kyiv, including a Patriot missile battery.The administration is expected to announce a major new arms package for Kyiv, including a Patriot missile battery.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with President Joe Biden and other senior U.S. officials at the White House on Wednesday, a high-stakes visit that comes as Kyiv prepares to dig in for a brutal winter.
Zelenskyy tweeted at 1 a.m. Washington time that he was on his way to the U.S. capital “to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities of Ukraine.”
“In particular, @POTUS and I will discuss cooperation between Ukraine and the United States,” Zelenskyy tweeted, adding that he will also make a speech to Congress and take part in a number of meetings with senior leaders.
During the visit, Biden is expected to announce a massive new package of nearly $2 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, including a Patriot missile defense battery, which is designed to shoot down airplanes and missiles, a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday. The Patriot will defend Ukraine from Russia’s attacks on critical infrastructure, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the visit ahead of the formal announcement.
Zelenskyy will be on the ground for only a few hours before returning to Ukraine, the official said.
“It’s a historic visit that will cement our partnership with Ukraine for the foreseeable future,” said Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “So many Ukrainians are without electricity, without heat without light. This will be a symbolic sign that the United States is with them for the long haul.”
The visit is an opportunity for Biden to show the administration’s continuing support for Ukraine ahead of Republicans taking over the House in January.
