UPDATE - Ukraine’s president to visit US Capitol this week: Reports

REVISES DECK, ADDS MORE DETAILS

By Rabia Iclal Turan and Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will pay a surprise visit to the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. this week, according to multiple US media reports published Tuesday.

Zelenskyy will attend a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, which will be his first visit abroad since the start of the Russian war on Feb. 24, according to Axios, Fox News and Punchbowl News.

But a source familiar with the matter told Anadolu Agency that the visit has not been confirmed and that it is dependent on the security situation. The leaks, the source said, are not helping.

Earlier in the day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi circulated a letter urging members of the House of Representatives to be “physically present” at the Capitol on Wednesday night. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Please be present for a very special focus on Democracy Wednesday night,” Pelosi wrote in a Dear Colleague letter.

Plans are also being made for Zelenskyy to sit down with US President Joe Biden at the White House, CNN reported.