Last March President Zelensky addressed a joint session of Congress via video. In what would be his first trip outside of Ukraine since Putin invaded Ukraine, Zelensky is set to visit President Biden in Washington, D.C. and address a joint session of Congress in-person. Ukrainian officials are making it clear, though, that a last-minute cancellation could happen if security concerns warrant it.

Joe Biden hasn’t made a trip to Kyiv since Putin’s invasion because of security concerns, though he did send his wife, Jill, to visit Mrs. Zelensky there. Other administration officials and lawmakers have made the trip, and there has been a steady stream of celebrities and public figures stopping by for photo ops with the Ukrainian president. When Zelensky addressed Congress via video in March, his speech was warmly received. It will be interesting to see if the level of enthusiasm is the same this time around, assuming the trip becomes reality.

It’s good timing on Zelensky’s part – in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Congress unveiled a year-end spending bill that includes about $45 billion for Ukraine. Let’s be honest, Zelensky is coming to say thank you for America’s support and to ask for more financial and military aid. It’s his job. He’s trying to hold off Putin from annexing territory in Ukraine and killing Ukrainians. It’s winter and fighting has slowed with the cold weather.

Zelenskyy’s plans to address a joint session of Congress and at the White House as the Biden administration plans to announce the delivery of a Patriot missile battle system to help Ukraine with its air defenses, according to two people familiar with the plans but not authorized to publicly discuss them because of security concerns.

The White House pushed Congress to include substantial Ukraine aid in the bill, facing an imminent Republican majority in the House that seems to be less inclined to fund the embattled country. If passed, it would bring the total to over $100 billion in emergency aid from the United States.

As with the visit, Zelensky’s appearance before a joint session of Congress is still tentative. Zelensky could meet with congressional leaders and national security committee chairs. Speaker Pelosi sent out a letter to colleagues urging them to be physically present in Washington on Wednesday night for “a very special session” with a “very special focus on Democracy.” Democrats sure do love that word ‘democracy’ these days.

Zelensky has not shied away from traveling in Ukraine (always with heavy security) to present soldiers with awards for their bravery and courage in defending their country. He traveled to Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, a dangerous area that has come under heavy Russian artillery attacks in recent days. He remains determined to succeed in the war against Putin’s invasion.

“This week is extremely important for Ukraine — in order to get through this winter and next year,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday from his home country. “Our fighters gave me our flag today and asked to pass it on to those whose decisions are very important for Ukraine, for all our warriors. We will definitely do it. We will definitely endure. We will definitely get the necessary support for Ukraine!”

We’ll know soon enough today whether or not Zelensky has arrived in D.C. or if he had to cancel due to security concerns.