As part of his first trip abroad since Russia invaded his country in February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with U.. President Joe Biden and then address Congress this evening.

The aim of the trip is to shore up support for his country and send a message to Moscow.

Before his plane touched down, the Biden administration announced it would provide $1.85-billion in military aid to Ukraine.

The development comes as lawmakers prepare to vote on a spending package, including about $45-billion in emergency assistance for the country.

Earlier, the Kremlin warned that increasing the supply of U.S. arms would only aggravate the war.

In other developments, the defense minister called for expanding Moscow’s military, by at least 500,000, to 1.5-million.

President Vladimir Putin says his country would take lessons learned in the conflict to strengthen his forces.