First lady Jill Biden will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's wife, Olena Zelenska, on Tuesday at the White House, The Hill reported.
She and Jill Biden will attend a bilateral meeting that afternoon. On Wednesday, Zelenska is set to deliver an in-person address to Congress from the congressional auditorium in the Capitol Visitor Center.
The Ukrainian first lady sat down with Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier Monday, where the two focused on how the United States will contribute to Ukraine's postwar reconstruction efforts, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price.
The news comes as Ukraine ramps up its calls to the West that they supply more heavy equipment aid as Russia's offensive in southern Ukraine and the Donbas trudges forward.
Top Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter last week that three specific weapon systems were necessary for Ukraine to fight back against the Russian invasion.
''Do we want a turning point in the war? 3 components,'' Podolyak said. ''HIMARS [high mobility artillery rocket systems] for ... targeting rear bases, logistics. Heavy artillery on the frontline allows matching number parity. APC [armored personnel carriers] for breakthrough fists.''
The Biden administration had unveiled a $400 million security assistance package to Ukraine on July 8, which included four additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS. Ukrainian officials, however, are requesting significantly more.
''HIMARS have already made a HUUUGE difference on the battlefield,'' Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeted a day later. ''More of them as well as [U.S.] ammo and equipment will increase our strength and help to demilitarize the terrorist state.''
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