Ukraine's Zelenskiy could visit Biden, US Congress on Wednesday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy could travel to Washington, meet President Joe Biden and visit Congress on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter said, in his first known overseas trip since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24.

The two leaders were expected to meet at the White House, a source said. The visit by Zelenskiy would coincide with Biden's intent to send the Kyiv government Patriot missiles, CNN reported, to protect it from heavy Russian bombardment.

CNN also reported, citing two sources, that Zelenskiy was already on his way to Washington.

Zelenskiy's spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. The president last left Ukraine for the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 19, according to his official schedule.

His trip abroad 10 months into the war was expected to include a visit to lawmakers at the US Capitol, a source familiar with the planning said on Tuesday.

The trip has not been confirmed and security concerns could force a change in plans, the source said.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office did not imemdiately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pelosi said in a letter that there would be a session of Congress on Wednesday night which would have a "very special focus on democracy".

'FORTRESS BAKHMUT'

Zelenskiy made a surprise trip to troops in the battered eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, his office said on Tuesday, underlining Russia's stuttering but persistent attempts to capture it.

In his nightly video address, he referred to the visit as a trip to "Fortress Bakhmut" in Donetsk, a province Russia claimed in September but most countries reject as an illegal occupation.

Putin awarded medals inside the comfort of the Kremlin to the Dressed in combat khaki, Zelenskiy handed out medals to soldiers in a tumble-down industrial complex to loud applause, video released by his office showed.

In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Russian-appointed leaders of four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has claimed to have annexed since invading its neighbour.

Video footage released earlier on Ukrinform TV, part of Ukraine's state news agency, showed servicemen in Bakhmut handing Zelenskiy a Ukrainian flag with their signatures on it.

"We will turn it over to the Congress and to the US president from the guys," Zelenskiy said in the video. "We are grateful for the support. But it's not enough."

Neither Zelenskiy nor soldiers he met were shown saying anything about the timing or location of the flag presentation to the Americans.

He has urged the troops to keep up their spirits as the battle for Bakhmut, one that has come to symbolise the grinding brutality of the war, enters its fifth month.

"The East is holding out because Bakhmut is fighting. In fierce battles and at the cost of many lives, freedom is being defended here for all of us," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Earlier, he repeated calls to the West for more weaponry including air defence systems after Russian drones hit energy targets in a third air strike on power facilities in six days.

A US government funding bill in the Senate includes $44.9 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies. The money would be used for military training, equipment, logistics and intelligence support, as well as for replenishing US equipment sent to the government in Kyiv.

The World Bank on Tuesday said it had approved an additional financing package totalling $610 million to address urgent relief and recovery needs in Ukraine.

Washington is also close to finalising plans to send the Patriot missile defence system to Ukraine, according to sources, but the Kremlin has warned the US-supplied equipment would be a legitimate target for Russian strikes against Ukraine.

Kyiv has argued it needs to Western help to strengthen its air defences against repeated Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The assaults have repeatedly cut electricity and water supplies amid subzero winter temperatures. Ukrainian officials say Moscow's missiles and bombardment are aimed at breaking the will of civilians to resist.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukrainians should prepare for new Russian attacks on energy infrastructure because Moscow wanted them to spend Christmas and New Year in darkness.

Electricity supplier YASNO, which covers the area of the capital Kyiv, offered no immediate respite for residents.

"We are not even counting on a return to scheduled disconnections," Sergey Kovalenko, YASNO chief executive, said in a Facebook post late on Tuesday.