Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to speak in Congress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the United States on Wednesday for a meeting with President Joe Biden and to speak before Congress. The visit is to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities, Zelenskyy said. He will meet with Biden at the White House and then hold a press conference. In the evening, he’ll speak before Congress. Zelenskyy is speaking before Congress a day after it proposed a spending package that could include $45 billion in aid to Ukraine—the largest single aid package yet. The White House is set to announce another $1.8 billion in aid on Wednesday, including a Patriot missile battery, officials said.

Has Zelenskyy traveled since the war started? This is the first time Zelenskyy has left Ukraine since the war started in February. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy traveled to what he called the hottest spot on the front lines, the town of Bakhmut in the Donbas province. While there, he held a moment of silence for fallen soldiers and told the troops that Bakmut is a symbol for the rest of Ukraine. If Russia captures Bakhmut, it would cut off Ukrainian supply lines and open up a path to key Ukrainian cities.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in World Magazine on the growing danger for religious leaders in Ukraine.