Washington: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the US Senate on Saturday, via Zoom in the morning Washington time at the request of Ukraine.
The meeting would be the first time the full Senate has been able to speak with Zelensky since Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion of Ukraine late last month.
The meeting comes as lawmakers are working to pass billions in new aid for Ukraine and gives Zelensky the chance to pitch members of Congress directly on what his country needs as it fights back against the Russian invasion.
Though Putin has faced setbacks, Russia still has a military advantage over Ukraine and has been attacking multiple key cities.
As the war in Ukraine intensifies, some US lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden to take a tougher stance against Russia, such as by suspending imports of its oil.
The White House has ruled this out so far, fearing it might cause rising oil prices to go up even more and hurt US consumers stung by record inflation.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has called for "somebody in Russia" to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky himself is strongly urging NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine to halt bombing raids but the Biden administration has ruled this out, fearing it might lead to an all-out war between the West and Russia, although some US lawmakers support the creation of such a zone.