Ukraine’s Zelensky set to address Congress in first foreign trip since Russian invasion
LA TimesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets soldiers at the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian invaders in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2022. In his first known trip abroad since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Washington on Wednesday to meet with President Biden and address a joint session of Congress. Zelensky’s visit, his second to the United States as president, comes as lawmakers are preparing to vote on a $1.7-trillion end-of-year funding bill that includes nearly $45 billion in emergency economic and security assistance to Ukraine, $8 billion more than Biden had requested from Congress last month. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has said his party would not “write a blank check to Ukraine,” raising concerns about Washington’s ability to help Kyiv fend off Russia in the months ahead.