Volodymyr Zelensky visits the United States to drum up support for the war effort | Volodymyr Zelensky

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Volodymyr Zelensky has made his first known foreign trip since Russia invaded Ukraine more than 300 days ago, flying to the United States on a high-stakes visit to secure support for his war effort until next year.

The Ukrainian president was photographed traveling by car outside Przemyśl railway station in Poland.

He later traveled to Washington, D.C., for meetings with the US President, Joe Biden, at the White House, and to address politicians in Congress. While in the air, Zelensky tweeted that he intended to strengthen the country’s “resilience and defense capabilities”.

On my way to the United States to strengthen the resilience and defense capabilities of 🇺🇦. In particular, POTUS and I will discuss the collaboration between 🇺🇦 and 🇺🇸. I will also address Congress and a number of bilateral meetings.

— Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) December 21, 2022

US lawmakers are set to vote on a year-end spending package that includes around $45 billion (£37 billion) in emergency aid for Ukraine. The latest batch of funding would be the largest injection of aid from the United States yet to Ukraine, higher even than Biden’s emergency request of $37 billion.

The White House announced earlier that it intended to send advanced Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine, which it said would be vital to stopping Russia’s “barbaric” missile attacks on critical infrastructure, along with $1 billion in additional defense assistance.

A White House statement announcing the visit said the trip “will underscore the United States’ unwavering commitment to support Ukraine for as long as possible, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance.”

In a letter inviting Zelensky to address the joint meeting of Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the fight for Ukraine as a struggle for democracy.

“In the face of Putin’s horrific atrocities, Ukrainian freedom fighters have inspired the world with iron will and unbreakable spirit… Your courageous and indefatigable patriot leadership has rallied not only your people, but the world, to join the front lines of the fight for freedom,” she wrote.

Zelenskiy was seen near the Przemyśl railway station in Poland before heading to Washington, DC. Photo: AP

After Moscow sent tanks and troops into Ukraine in late February, Zelensky sought to reassure citizens that he would stay in the country as a show of strength and determination, despite threats to his life and family.

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With the Ukrainian military now largely holding up Russian forces, the international flight shows that the president feels confident enough in the security situation to leave.

Ukraine’s largest military donor is also at a critical juncture so far. Democrats are likely to lose their majority in the US House of Representatives next month, which means Zelensky and his backers in the White House are eager to show bipartisan support publicly. Some Republicans have recently questioned the price of supporting the war.

Kyiv’s presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the visit was “very important”. And he added: “This puts an end once and for all to the attempts of the Russian side … to demonstrate the alleged growing coldness in our bilateral relations. This, of course, is not soon. The United States unequivocally supports Ukraine.

In contact with journalists, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that continued Western arms supplies to Ukraine would lead to a “deepening” of the conflict.

“The supply of weapons continues and the range of weapons supplied is widening. All of this, of course, exacerbates the conflict.” “This does not bode well for Ukraine.”

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