Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is set to speak before Congress Wednesday, marking his first trip outside national borders since Russia invaded in February 2022. American lawmakers are currently debating a year-end budget that currently includes nearly $50 billion in humanitarian and military aid bound for Ukraine.
The speech is expected to draw politicians from across the political spectrum. House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) circulated a letter Tuesday asking “all members to be physically present at our session Wednesday night,” without officially acknowledging Zelensky’s presence. “Please be present for a very special focus on democracy,” Pelosi wrote the BBC reports.
Similar sentiments were echoed across the political aisle. “In the defense part of our expenditures, making sure the Defense department can deal with the major threats coming from Russia and China, providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians — that’s the No. 1 priority for the United States right now according to most Republicans,” Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said.
The United States is by far Ukraine’s largest military supporter. According to one study conducted by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, between January and November 2022, America had committed $18.51 billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine, well outpacing Germany ($2.34 billion), the United Kingdom ($1.9 billion), Poland ($1.82 billion), and Canada ($0.99 billion), among others.
A surprise speech coming just days before the New Year might also serve as a prelude to the Biden administration announcing its plans to share Patriot anti-aircraft missiles with Ukraine in a bid to rein in the Russian air force, Bloomberg reports.
Earlier Tuesday, Zelensky made an unannounced visit to front-line troops in Bakhmut. Despite repeated attempts by Russian forces to seize the town, one of the final holdouts stymying attempts to consolidate Russia’s grip throughout the Donetsk region, Ukrainian forces have clung to the city.
Zelensky addressed Congress previously in March 2022, a month into Russia’s invasion, via video link.