Summary

  • President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the US Congress to a standing ovation on his first foreign trip since Russia's invasion of Ukraine

  • Ukraine's president says "against all odds... Ukraine is alive and kicking" and will "never surrender"

  • He tells US lawmakers: "For the Russian army to completely pull out, more cannon and shells are needed"

  • After talks with US President Joe Biden, Zelensky said a "just peace" with Russia meant no compromises on Ukraine's territorial integrity

  • The US announced more support for Ukraine, including a Patriot missile defence system

  • "American people are prepared to have us stand up to bullies," Biden said, referring to Russia

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted Russia was not to blame for the war, blaming "the policy of third countries"

Live Reporting

Edited by Jessica Murphy

  1. What can we expect from Zelensky and Biden's meeting?

    Zelensky and Biden in the Oval OfficeGetty Images

    The pair last sat down in 2021 - their first-ever meeting

    This may be Zelensky's first foreign trip since the war in Ukraine began, but it's not his first time visiting Washington or meeting President Biden.

    The pair last met in person at the White House in September 2021. That meeting was their first. It was also the first time a Ukrainian leader had visited the White House in more than four years.

    Today, they'll be meeting after dozens of phone and Zoom calls held over months of war - and the main topic of conversation will be continued support for Ukraine by the US.

    With the announcement today of another $1.85bn (£1.5bn) worth of military aid, it's thought they will discuss weaponry, what that latest package offers and - on Zelensky's part - whether there's more to give.

    After the meeting, which will take place in the Oval Office between 14:30 and 16:30 local time (19:30 and 21:30 GMT), the two leaders will hold a press conference.

  2. Symbolism and purpose go hand in hand on historic trip

    John Sudworth
    North America correspondent

    This is made for TV diplomacy. The image of a wartime leader, fighting to hold the line against an authoritarian power at home while choosing to travel across the world to appear in person at the heart of US democracy, is prompting comparisons in the press with Winston Churchill’s trip across the Atlantic during Christmas 1941.

    Security is expected to be tight in Washington - the planning for the visit was cloaked in secrecy until a few hours before President Zelensky’s plane took off.

    A letter from the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi asked members to be at Congress for an event with, she said, “a special focus on democracy”. And then came the tweet from the Ukrainian President: “On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defence capabilities of Ukraine.”

    President Biden is expected to use the meeting to confirm the provision of a Patriot missile system - a major asset for Ukraine’s air defences - and Congress is currently debating a spending bill that includes more than $40bn of additional aid.

    But with Republicans due to take control of Congress in the New Year, and some in their ranks raising concerns about blank check funding for the war, it’s clear that in President Zelensky’s visit - the powerful symbolism and the strategic purpose go hand in hand.

  3. Pelosi recalls Churchill's historic address to Congress

    Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain is surrounded by United States and British Secret Service men, as he arrives at the Capitol to deliver an address before the joint session of Congress.Gett

    Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain is surrounded by United States and British Secret Service men, as he arrives at the Capitol to deliver an address before the joint session of Congress.

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has drawn parallels between Zelensky’s upcoming address to the US Congress and Winston Churchill’s own historic WWII speech to that body on 26 December 1941.

    The Japanese had struck Pearl Harbor just days before Churchill’s appearance, and the US was belatedly entering the war.

    With Axis powers causing havoc around the world, Churchill travelled to Washington in a similar fashion to Zelensky.

    “The forces ranged against us are enormous,” Churchill told Congress. “They are bitter, they are ruthless.”

    Churchill called upon the US to join with Britain and its allies to fend off what he called “the turmoil and convulsions of the present”.

    “Here we are together,” Churchill said, “facing a group of mighty foes who seek our ruin.”

    In her letter to House colleagues - who she urged to attend Zelensky's address this evening - Pelosi writes that her father, who served as a congressman from Maryland, was a member of the House when Churchill made his speech.

    Earlier today, Pelosi wrote to Zelensky inviting him to speak, saying that "America and the world are in awe of the heroism of the Ukrainian people".

  4. DC prepares for Zelensky

    Washington is getting ready to greet the Ukrainian president, who will soon be at the White House for a meeting with President Biden.

    Barricades mark the limit of the public access areas on the West Front of the US CapitolGe

    Barricades mark the limit of the public access areas on the West Front of the US Capitol as DC prepares for Zelensky

    Security forces take measures around United States Capitol ahead of the official visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, DCGetty Images

    Security forces take measures around United States Capitol ahead of Zelensky's visit

    US and Ukrainian flagsGetty Images

    US and Ukrainian flags are being flown on some buildings to mark the occasion

  5. Former US special envoy to Ukraine praises missile system move

    In the last few minutes, Kurt Volker, the former US ambassador to Nato, spoke to the BBC about the news that the US will provide Ukraine with the Patriot air defence systems we've been reporting on.

    "The Ukrainians are really suffering from these Russian air attacks against their cities and their civilians, and their civilian infrastructure, so anything we can do to help them with air defence is going to be very welcome," he said.

    Volker also previously served as the US special envoy to Ukraine.

    Kurt Volker, the former US special representative for Ukraine negotiationsGetty Images

  6. What is a Patriot missile system – and how will it benefit Ukraine?

    The US will supply Ukraine with a Patriot missile system, significantly increasing the country's air defence capability.

    One Patriot missile costs around $3m (£2.4m) - three times the cost of a missile in a NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System). Two NASAM systems have been in operation in Ukraine for several weeks.

    The new Patriot missile battery "will be a critical asset to defend the Ukrainian people against Russia's barbaric attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure", the White House said in a briefing.

    Patriots were used against Iraq's Russian-made Scud missiles during the first Gulf War and have been continuously developed since by Raytheon Technologies.

    Ranges to target reportedly vary between 40km to 160km (100 miles), depending on the type of missile used, which will likely antagonise Moscow.

    Infographic of Patriot missile system.

  7. Zelensky has arrived in the US
    Breaking

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in the US, an official has confirmed to US media.

    He'll now make the journey to Washington before he's due to meet with US President Joe Biden at 14:00 (19:00 GMT).

  8. Blinken welcomes Zelensky with $1.85bn military aid package

    As the White House prepares for Zelensky's arrival, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has released a statement welcoming the Ukrainian president - and outlining new military aid.

    Blinken confirms the US will provide Ukraine with the advanced Patriot air defence system to help Kyiv counter Moscow's missile attacks. The latest package comes to a total of $1.85bn (£1.5bn).

    "Today’s assistance for the first time includes the Patriot Air Defence System, capable of bringing down cruise missiles, short range ballistic missiles, and aircraft at a significantly higher ceiling than previously provided air defence systems," he says.

    Blinken adds that the US intends to keep on working closely with "more than 50 allies and partners worldwide in support of the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence with extraordinary courage and boundless determination".

    He finishes by saying: "Russia alone could end this war today. Until it does so, we stand United with Ukraine."

  9. Russia not to blame for war, says Putin

    Vladimir Putin, alongside Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov, makes a speech to the Russian peopleEPA

    Putin (centre) made a televised speech earlier alongside Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov (R)

    Away from Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech earlier today, in which he claimed Moscow is not to blame for the war in Ukraine.

    Instead, he said the conflict is "the result of the policy of third countries" and not down to Russian aggression. The theory, which implies Western expansion is the cause, has been repeatedly dismissed outside Russia.

    Here's a snippet of what he said in the televised address:

    For years, we tried to build good-neighbourly relations with Ukraine, offering loans and cheap energy, but it did not work.

    There's nothing to accuse us of. We've always seen Ukrainians as a brotherly people and I still think so.

    What's happening now is a tragedy, but it's not our fault.

    Putin

  10. A high-profile effort to stay on the US agenda

    Anthony Zurcher
    North America correspondent

    Over the course of this year, Congress has approved approximately $67bn (£55.4bn) in military and economic assistance to Ukraine. A 2023 spending package that Congress is poised to pass this week includes an additional $45bn in Ukraine aid.

    Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Wednesday is an effort, in part, to ensure that US aid keeps flowing.

    This is becoming more of a challenge, though. In May, 57 Republicans in the 435-seat House of Representatives and 11 in the 100-seat Senate voted against a $40bn stand-alone aid package, and polls indicate Republican support for continued assistance has eroded since.

    In a survey conducted in November, just over half of Republican voters supported aid to Ukraine – down from 80% in March. Some Republicans on the midterm elections campaign trail last month openly wondered why the US was spending so much money on a distant country instead of funding border security and fighting crime at home.

    Prospective House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has already expressed concern about any further “blank cheques” for Ukraine. And there was public incredulity among some Republicans in Congress when Republican Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that Ukraine aid was the “number one priority” for his party.

    Zelensky doesn’t need further aid to Ukraine to be at the top of Republicans to-do list in the new year, but his trip to Washington is a high-profile effort to ensure that it doesn’t drop off the agenda entirely.

  11. What does Zelensky want? 'Weapons and more weapons'

    President Zelensky greets troopsGetty Images

    Zelensky is heading to the US Capitol to address Congress and ask for "weapons, weapons and more weapons", a political adviser to the Ukrainian president told Reuters.

    Ukraine's president has said he hoped to strengthen his country's "resilience and defence capabilities" in his first trip overseas since the Russian invasion in February.

    His adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, told Reuters the visit showed the high level of trust between the US and Ukraine.

    “This finally puts an end to the attempts by the Russian side… to prove an allegedly growing cooling in our bilateral relations,” Podolyak said.

    “This, of course, is not even close. The United States unequivocally supports Ukraine.”

  12. A rough timeline of Zelensky’s day in DC

    As we’ve reported, details of the trip have been kept strictly under wraps - but we do have a rough idea of timings for the day.

    12:00 local time (17:00 GMT): Volodymyr Zelensky lands at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland

    14:00 (19:00 GMT): US President Joe Biden welcomes his Ukrainian counterpart to the White House on the famous South Lawn

    14:30 (19:30 GMT): The pair hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office

    16:30 (21:30 GMT): Zelensky and Biden are expected to hold a news conference at the White House. It's thought they’ll announce a new package of security assistance, worth nearly $2bn (£1.6bn) - including the delivery of the advanced Patriot air defence missile system

    18:15 (23:15 GMT): Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives, holds a photo-op with Zelensky ahead of his meeting with the US Congress

    19:30 (00:30 GMT): Zelensky delivers a speech to Congress

  13. Zelensky heads to the US for first trip since war began

    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) attending a meeting with Ukrainian servicemen during his visit to Bakhmut, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, 20 December 2022EPA

    Hello and thanks for joining us as we get ready to bring you live coverage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s momentous visit to Washington.

    It's the wartime leader’s first foreign trip since Russia invaded his country in February.

    Zelensky’s plane is expected to touchdown around midday local time (17:00 GMT). He's expected to go to the White House where he will hold a joint news conference with US President Joe Biden at about 16:30 local time (21:30 GMT).

    The visit – which was understandably kept under wraps until earlier today due to security concerns – comes following Washington’s commitment to supply Ukraine with a Patriot missile system, which will help strengthen the country’s air defence against Russia.

    Stay with us for the latest updates and analysis, including live coverage of the news conference.