WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit the U.S. Congress next week, according to media reports, after a U.S. official earlier said the Ukrainian president was expected to meet with U.S. President Biden on Thursday.
Punchbowl News on Friday said Zelenskiy’s visit with Congress was tentatively scheduled for Thursday. The Washington Post also reported Zelenskiy was set to travel to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, while the Wall Street Journal said he would meet with U.S. lawmakers.
Representatives for Zelenskiy and congressional leaders could not be immediately reached for comment on the reports.
Zelenskiy is expected to head to Washington next week following his trip to New York for the U.N. General Assembly meeting, the U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday.
His visit comes as Biden, a Democrat, presses U.S. lawmakers to provide an additional $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Any funds must be approved by Congress. Biden’s fellow Democrats control the U.S. Senate, but Republicans narrowly control the U.S. House of Representatives and have signaled resistance to the additional funding request for Ukraine.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Alison Williams and Chizu Nomiyama)
