US Congress debating $24 billion aid for Ukraine amid Zelenskyy's plans to visit White House

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's visit to the White House comes as the US Congress is debating President Joe Biden's request to provide USD 24 billion in military and humanitarian aid for the embattled country as it fights the Russian invasion.

Washington : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected at the White House and on Capitol Hill next week as he visits the U.S. during the United Nations General Assembly. Zelenskyy's trip comes as Congress is debating President Joe Biden's request to provide as much as USD 24 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion.

Jake Sullivan, the president's national security adviser, on Friday confirmed that the U.S. president will host Zelenskyy at the White House on Thursday. It will mark the third time that Biden and the Ukrainian leader have met at the White House.

It certainly comes at a critical time, as Russia desperately seeks help from countries like North Korea for its brutal war in Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces continue to make progress in their counteroffensive, and just after the next Ukraine defense contact group meeting that (Defense) Secretary (Lloyd) Austin is organizing with dozens of our allies and partners in Europe earlier next week, Sullivan said during a press briefing at the White House on Friday.

Sullivan also confirmed Zelenskyy will visit the Capitol. I think he's looking forward to the opportunity not just to see President Biden here at the White House, but also to see congressional leaders from both parties to make the case that the United States has been a great friend and partner to Ukraine throughout this entire brutal war," he said.

The Ukrainian president made a wartime visit to Washington in December 2022 and delivered an impassioned address to a joint meeting of Congress. At the time it was his first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February of that year. (AP)