Ukraine's President Zelensky speaks during a joint news conference with Czech Prime Minister Fiala in Kyiv on 31 October 2022; Credit: REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is travelling to the United States to meet President Joe Biden and visit Congress today, Wednesday 21 December 2022, in his first known overseas trip since Russia's invasion on 24 February.

DIPLOMACY

Zelensky said he was going to Washington for talks with Biden to strengthen Ukraine's "resilience and defence capabilities" and address the US Congress. He will hold talks with Biden and top national security aides at the White House, participate in a joint news conference with Biden, and then go to Capitol Hill to address a joint session of the US Senate and House of Representatives.

Biden will announce a package of military assistance for Ukraine valued at nearly $2 billion that will include a Patriot missile battery to help it defend itself against barrages of Russian missiles, a senior US official said.

Zelensky's visit, which had been organised in secret until details emerged on Tuesday night, was expected to last several hours. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that Biden invited Zelensky to Washington "to underscore the United States' enduring commitment to Ukraine". "The visit will underscore the United States' steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance," she said.

Biden will be face-to-face with the man he has spoken with regularly over the past 10 months but not met in person since the war broke out. With Biden's firm support, the West has rallied behind Ukraine and sought to isolate Russia without getting involved in a direct conflict with it. Biden will not use the talks to push Zelensky toward the negotiating table with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US official said.

Video footage issued by UkrinformTV of Zelensky's visit to Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine showed Ukrainian servicemen handing him a Ukrainian flag with their signatures on it, which the president said he would turn over to the Congress and Biden. Dressed in combat khaki, Zelensky handed out medals to soldiers in a tumble-down industrial complex to applause, video released by his office showed.

The US Senate has advanced a government-funding bill that includes $44.9 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies.

The World Bank said it had approved an additional financing package totalling $610 million to address urgent relief and recovery needs in Ukraine.

CONFLICT

President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that conditions in Russian-held areas of Ukraine were "extremely difficult" and ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders.

Zelensky paid a surprise visit to the frontline city of Bakhmut, where he hailed the "superhuman" troops waging a battle that has come to symbolise the grinding brutality of the war.

Electricity supplies in the Kyiv region were at a "critical" level, with less than half the capital's power needs being supplied following Russian missile and drone attacks, regional officials said.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine should prepare for new Russian attacks on its energy grid because Moscow wanted Ukrainians to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in darkness.

Reuters was not able to independently verify battlefield reports.