What Time Will Zelensky Address U.S. Congress Tonight?

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will address U.S. Congress on Wednesday during a visit to Washington, D.C., which will be his first trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Wednesday that Zelensky will join President Joe Biden at the White House for the announcement of a "significant new package of security assistance."

On Wednesday morning, Zelensky tweeted: "On my way to the U.S. to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities" of Ukraine." He added: "I will also have a speech at the Congress and a number of bilateral meetings."

The planning for the visit was low key, and started following a phone call between the presidents on December 11, followed by a formal invitation last week and confirmation of the trip on Sunday.

Details of the visit leaked on Tuesday afternoon, although officials have told U.S. media outlets that there were still security concerns over Zelensky's travel, the details of which could change.

While the time has not been confirmed officially, Zelensky's joint address to Congress is currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the plan.

"Timing is subject to change, but this is the current plan, and he will go to the Capitol after his meeting (and) press conference with Biden," tweeted Axios reporter Alayna Treene. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.

Biden is expected to announce a new arms package worth almost $2 billion that a senior administration official has said includes Patriot air defense missiles, seen as crucial to help Kyiv defend the country against Russia missile and drone attacks.

Congress is set to agree to $45 billion in additional military and economic aid to Ukraine this week which would bring total American assistance to over $100 billion. Some members of the incoming House Republican majority have expressed concerns about continuing to send aid to Ukraine.

The presidents will discuss the arms and training provided by the United States and allies, as well as sanctions and other pressure on Russia, and the humanitarian aid that Ukraine needs, a White House official said, according to Agence France Presse.

The Ukrainian delegation is expected to again ask for long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, Politico reported. However, the publication said that U.S. officials are not prepared to agree to that for fear of provoking Vladimir Putin into using even more lethal weapons inside Ukraine.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to lawmakers on Tuesday which did not mention Zelensky by name that was "encouraging all members to be physically present at our session Wednesday night."

Zelensky's trip to Washington will last just "a few short hours," Axios reported, citing a U.S. official. It comes 300 days into the invasion, as Ukraine continues to reel from power outages caused by Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure.

It follows a surprise visit to Bakhmut by Zelensky on Tuesday, the town in the Donetsk oblast which is the site of some of the war's bloodiest fighting.