By Michael D. Shear and Emily Cochrane

WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday (21) and later deliver a prime-time address to a joint session of Congress, in a daring trip abroad intended to reaffirm American support for his country, White House officials announced late Tuesday (20) night.

“Three hundred days ago, Russia launched a brutal assault against Ukraine,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said in a statement confirming Zelenskyy’s trip to Washington. “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.”

Senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of concerns about Zelenskyy’s safety, said the risks involved in such a visit — with the wartime leader leaving his country for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February — were high, and that planning for his arrival had been conducted under intense secrecy.

Zelenskyy will arrive in the United States almost 10 months after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine and as Congress considers approving nearly $50 billion in aid to help Ukraine’s forces battle Russia next year. That would bring the total amount of US aid to more than $100 billion.

“He’s a national and global hero — I’m delighted to be able to hear from him,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Tuesday after hearing of Zelenskyy’s visit.

The Ukrainian president’s trip comes as Russia’s assault heads into a second, brutal year. Russia’s hopes for a quick defeat of Ukraine failed, but have given way to a series of grinding and devastating attacks on civilians that have left major cities without heat or electricity in the bitter cold of Ukraine’s winter.

During his meeting with Biden at the White House, Zelenskyy is set to accept the latest US pledge of military assistance: a highly sophisticated Patriot missile battery that senior administration officials said would provide Ukraine with far better defences against air attacks from Russian missiles and drones. The missile battery will be part of a nearly $2 billion package of security assistance that will also include other support for Ukraine’s air defences.

White House officials said the announcement of the new security package by the American president — with Zelenskyy by his side — was meant to send a powerful message to Putin and other world leaders, along with people in Ukraine and America, that Biden would not waver in his efforts to help Ukraine defeat its Russian aggressors.

In her statement Tuesday night, Jean-Pierre said the meeting of the two leaders would “underscore the United States’ enduring commitment to Ukraine” and was part of a continuing effort by Biden to rally “the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

A senior administration official said that Biden would not come to the meeting Wednesday “with a message that is about pushing or prodding or poking Zelenskyy in any way” toward finding a diplomatic end to the war with Russia. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trip had not been formally announced, said Russia had given no indication that it was willing to engage in good-faith talks about ending the war.

But the official also said that Biden would not allow the United States to be drawn into an active war with Russia on Ukraine’s behalf, a pledge the president had made before Russian forces entered Ukraine at the end of February.

After meeting with Biden and members of his national security team, Zelenskyy is expected to hold a news conference at the White House, officials said. He will then head to Capitol Hill for what is likely to be an electrifying appearance before a joint session of Congress as Democratic control of the House — and the reign of Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California as speaker — nears its end.

While Biden has vowed to continue his support “for as long as it takes,” he faces some resistance in Congress, where Republicans are poised to take control of the House on Jan. 3. Just hours before news of Zelenskyy’s visit broke, Republican leaders in that chamber had instructed rank-and-file lawmakers to oppose a roughly $1.7 trillion spending bill that includes the Ukraine aid.

Some Republicans in the House have repeatedly opposed previous packages that sent billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, suggesting that the money is wasteful or better spent in the United States. On Tuesday, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a far-right Republican, posted on Twitter scoffing at the release of the new aid.

Others indicated late Tuesday that their support for Ukrainian aid would be outweighed by their opposition to the spending measure, which must be passed by Friday to avoid a government shutdown. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, said voting against the spending bill “doesn’t mean we don’t support Ukraine.”

“Our first obligation is to the people we work for, not the people he works for,” he said of Zelenskyy.

The spending bill, including the funding for Ukraine, is expected to clear Congress by the end of the week, although votes for final passage have not yet been scheduled.

Zelenskyy’s trip to the United States was set in motion nine days ago during a telephone call between the two leaders, a senior administration official said. The White House formally invited Zelenskyy a week ago, and plans for a speech to Congress began in earnest Sunday, when the government of Ukraine confirmed his intention to travel to the United States.

In the first days and weeks of the full-scale Russian invasion, a Russian attack intended to take advantage of the leader’s absence might have stirred confusion in the Ukrainian military. But 10 months into the war, no prominent military analyst has recently questioned Ukrainian command and control of the military.

However, Russia’s military and political leadership have an arsenal of missiles that are regularly fired at Ukraine, and a barrage timed for a presidential trip abroad would be within Russia’s capabilities. Such a salvo might serve as a distraction for Zelenskyy or as a signal to Ukrainians or US officials that Russia has options to respond to deepening US-Ukrainian ties.

Zelenskyy himself did not confirm his trip to the United States during a surprise visit to the battered city of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Zelenskyy was given a flag by Ukrainian soldiers who asked that he present it to Congress. He promised to give it to Biden, according to Ukrainian media who joined him on the trip.

While his office had no official comment on any imminent trip, the moment was captured on camera. It was not clear, however, that Zelenskyy was actually preparing to leave the country for the first time since the war began.

-New York Times