Ukrainian first lady to address US Congress on Wednesday: House Speaker

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska will deliver remarks to the US Congress this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office announced on Monday.

Zelenska will address lawmakers on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. local time in the Congressional Auditorium in the US Capitol Visitor Center. All members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are invited to attend, Pelosi's office said in a statement.

The remarks come as Russia continues to push its grinding assault on Ukraine's eastern Donbass region in the hopes of seizing the eastern European nation's industrial heartland.

Over 5,000 civilians have been killed, and more than 6,500 injured, in Ukraine since Russia launched it war on Feb. 24, according to UN figures. Over 15 million people have also been forced to flee their homes, including more than 8.4 million that have fled to other countries.