Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Expected to Visit Washington on Wednesday

Mr. Zelensky also is expected to meet with

President Biden

during the visit, according to people familiar with the matter. The White House declined to comment.

A spokesman for Mr. Zelensky didn’t reply to a request for comment. Mr. Zelensky made an unannounced visit to the front-line city of Bakhmut on Tuesday, rallying Ukrainian troops on the country’s deadliest battlefield as Russia intensifies efforts to seize it. In his nightly address to Ukrainians on Monday, Mr. Zelensky said he would work to boost international support for his country’s war effort in the new year.

During Wednesday’s visit, the Biden administration is planning to unveil a roughly $1.8 billion security aid package that would include for the first time a Patriot missile battery, according to U.S. officials. The funding for the new security package was previously approved by Congress.

The expected trip to Washington comes as lawmakers are set to approve billions more in aid for Ukraine, but also as Republicans have grown increasingly critical of the continuing support, saying the money should be spent inside the U.S. His solicitation to Congress in March that included video footage of the war-torn country pushed lawmakers to tears and garnered a standing ovation from lawmakers from both parties. Members of Congress, including House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi

(D., Calif.), often wear a lapel pin that entwines the U.S. and Ukrainian flags. 

Russian forces have continued to batter Ukraine. The head of the Kherson region, Yaroslav Yanushevych, said Russian forces had struck 42 times over the past day, hitting a critical infrastructure facility and killing two people.

Mrs. Pelosi sent a letter on Tuesday asking all lawmakers to arrive in person at the Capitol on Wednesday to “please be present for a very special focus on Democracy Wednesday night.” Many House lawmakers had been hesitant to travel to Washington because…