Volodymyr Zelenskyi is expected in Washington on Wednesday, where he will meet with President Joe Biden and visit Congress, sources familiar with the preparations told Reuters, marking the Ukrainian president’s first trip abroad since February 24. The United States is expected to announce a package of military aid to Ukraine worth about $1.8 billion, other agency sources said. The package will also include Patriot missiles.

Highlights of Wednesday, the 301st day of the Ukrainian war, LIVETEXT:

07:49 Russian crude oil supplies fell in the first full week of G7 sanctions, a possible wake-up call for countries around the world trying to avoid disruptions to huge Russian exports, Bloomberg writes.

Part of the slump was exacerbated by work at the Baltic port, which is now complete, but there was also a lack of shipowners willing to accept cargo from the Asian export facility. Several other ports also saw week-on-week declines. The data should be treated with caution, as weekly flows depend on the timing of cargo schedules, weather and even the quality of signals transmitted by ships.

07:07 Kosovo’s prime minister says that Russia is fueling tensions with Serbia in the context of the failure of the war in Ukraine.

07:01FT: The Year of Dictators Stumbling.

Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine is a great example of the power of a dictatorial regime. After decades in power, leaders often become prone to megalomania or paranoia and preoccupation with their own place in history.

00:27 Zelenskyy will visit Washington on Wednesday – press / The first foreign trip of the Ukrainian president since the beginning of the war may coincide with the US announcement to provide Patriot systems to Ukraine.

A brief summary of recent events:

• Zelensky’s trip to the U.S. is expected to include a visit to the Capitol, a source familiar with the matter said. The visit is not confirmed and security concerns may force a change of plans.
• Zelensky unexpectedly visited the front-line town of Bakhmut, where he praised the “superhuman” efforts of the soldiers fighting the battle, which has become a symbol of the brutality of war.
• In the video broadcast by UkrinformTV from Zelenskyi’s visit to Bakhmut in the east of Ukraine, Ukrainian military personnel can be seen handing him a Ukrainian flag with their signatures, which, according to the president, he will give to Congress and Biden. Zelenskyi’s visit to the US is taking place at a time when Congress is ready to approve another $45 billion in economic and military aid to Kyiv.
• The World Bank announced that it has approved an additional financing package totaling $610 million to meet Ukraine’s urgent aid and recovery needs.
• There are conflicting views in Russia on whether to launch a new offensive against Ukraine, a senior US State Department official said, reiterating that Washington will continue to support Kyiv regardless of the scenario that unfolds.
• British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia plans to offer Iran advanced military components in exchange for hundreds of drones, urging the West to do more to expose the trade.
• The EU’s foreign policy chief told Iran’s foreign minister that Tehran must immediately end military support for Russia and internal repression in Iran. Vladimir Putin recognized that the conditions in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine are “extremely difficult” and ordered the strengthening of Russia’s borders.
• On Tuesday, Putin ordered the creation of a so-called working group to coordinate issues of mobilization and training of mobilized reservists, the Kremlin said in a statement.
• The supply of electricity in the Kyiv region has reached a “critical” level: less than half of the capital’s energy needs are met after Russian missile and drone attacks, regional officials said.
• Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine should prepare for further Russian attacks on its power grid, as Moscow wants Ukrainians to spend Christmas and New Year holidays in the dark.
• Two Italian journalists said on Tuesday that they were the targets of a deliberate attack by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, despite the fact that the car they were in had “press” written on it.
• Ukrainian border guards, who were building fortifications on the bank of the Dnieper, discovered the remains of an ancient Roman settlement.
• Russia is moving troops and military equipment from training bases in northern and central Belarus to the south of the country, closer to Belarus’ border with Ukraine.
• A new ad on Russian television raises a new irony about sending Russian soldiers to their deaths in exchange for a Lada car.
• Three people were killed in an explosion at a pipeline in central Russia that transports gas from the country’s Arctic region through Ukraine to Europe.
• Putin’s bet on Bakhmut. The most optimistic scenario of the fierce battle of the Russians at the hottest point of the front.

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• Tuesday’s events were broadcast live on HotNews.ro