In third U.S. visit since start of full-scale war, Zelensky says U.S. delay in approving military aid encouraging to Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the U.S. for an official visit. Zelensky met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and spoke at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

In his speech, Zelensky said that the U.S. Congress’s delay in approving new aid for Ukraine only served to encourage Putin. He added that Russia sees Ukraine as a springboard for a “global war against freedom.

Zelensky's visit will last two days. On December 12, he is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and to address the Senate.

Zelensky’s U.S. trip takes place amid internal political disagreements in Congress about further financial assistance to Ukraine. The Biden administration is calling for rapid allocation of funds, while Republicans in Congress are refusing to approve new funding until the White House grants concessions on other issues.

This is Zelensky's third visit to the United States since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.