Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed on Wednesday that he was on his way to the United States to meet President Joe Biden.
The trip will be his first foreign trip since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Zelensky will address Congress and hold a number of meetings in the US, according to BBC.
The White House has also confirmed the trip and said it will supply Ukraine with a Patriot missile battery, to increase the country’s air defence capability.
“On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defence capabilities of Ukraine,” he wrote on Twitter.
Zelensky regularly hosts foreign leaders in the capital, Kyiv, and has visited troops around Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president has also spoken frequently to world leaders over the telephone and by video call – often from his office in Kyiv.
However, his surprise visit to a foreign country marks a first since the war began and also signals the importance of Ukraine’s relationship with the US, which has played a leading role in providing military support.
In its briefing ahead of Zelensky’s visit, the White House confirmed a new package of nearly $2bn (£1.6bn) of security assistance for Ukraine. The aid includes a new Patriot.
