Ukraine’s president Zelensky heads to US in first trip since Kremlin’s invasion
Ukraine’s president Vlodymyr Zelensky is heading to the US for his first foreign trip since Russia invaded.
The leader will address the US Congress and meet his counterpart, President Joe Biden.
He announced the move on Twitter after days of speculation about whether he would travel.
On social media he wrote: “On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities of Ukraine.”
“In particular, President of the United States and I will discuss cooperation between Ukraine and the US. I will also have a speech at the Congress and a number of bilateral meetings.”
This comes as the Kremlin continues its war against Ukraine which it launched in February 2022.
In recent weeks and months it has renewed attacks on the north and west of the country, including the capital Kyiv.
The Russian army has targeted Ukraine’s power and energy infrastructure.
Zelensky is heading to the US in a bid to secure more funding for weapons from Congress, as the war enters its 10th month.
Ahead of the visit, he said in a video message, according to Reuters: “A lot depends on you – how this war will end. The more successful our defence forces are, the faster the Russian aggression will fail”.
“I ask you to increase the possibility of supplying air defence systems to our country, and to help speed up the relevant decisions to be taken by our partners,” he told Rishi Sunak, at a British-led grouping of Northern European countries.