Volodymyr Zelensky is on his way to Washington DC to meet Joe Biden and visit Congress, marking his first visit out of Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of the country.
Mr Zelensky said the visit would seek to strengthen Ukraine's “resilience and defence capabilities” as Russian attacks continue on Ukrainian energy and water supplies.
Mr Biden will announce a package of military assistance for Ukraine valued at nearly $2bn that will include a Patriot missile battery to help it defend itself against barrages of Russian missiles.
The visit will begin with talks between the two presidents at the White House, before a joint press conference. Mr Zelensky will then go to Capitol Hill to address a joint session of the US Senate and House of Representatives.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to news of the visit by announcing that he will make what he describes as an “important, substantive speech” later on Wednesday.
The Kremlin said that Mr Putin will meet his defence chiefs for an end-of-year meeting to “assess the progress of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine”.
