This will be a big moment in the war in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has addressed world leaders and gatherings by video throughout the conflict but his visit to the US is the first time he has left the country since Russia’s invasion.

There will be security risks but they should not be overplayed as world leaders have come and gone to Kyiv safely so he can go and come back.

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Yesterday, Mr Zelenskyy visited the most dangerous place on earth, the frontline town of Bakhmut where one of the fiercest battles of this war is raging.

Upon meeting frontline troops, Mr Zelenskyy was given a Ukrainian flag signed by soldiers, in which he said he would take it to Washington as a reminder of the help Ukrainians need.

There is a keen sense here that the West has underestimated the threat posed by Russia, not so much on the battlefield, but to Ukraine’s vital power supply.

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It has not given Ukraine the means to repel waves of drones and missiles that are wreaking havoc on the country’s electricity grid.

We have seen the result first-hand.

All of the country’s cities face power cuts or severely restricted power. If this continues, Ukrainian civilians will freeze to death over the winter, potentially in great numbers.

There is also a sense the West is giving Ukraine just enough weapons to continue this war, but not to finish it.

The fear remains, that after months of catastrophic blunders, the Russians may finally be getting their act together under a new commander and with tens of thousands of new recruits.

The newly mobilised are poorly motivated, equipped and trained. However, Russian commanders have always relied on quantity, not quality.

In Bakhmut they are sending waves of troops, who are being slaughtered in their hundreds a day it seems but the relentless assault is taking its toll on Ukraine.

If the West wants Russia to lose this war, it will need to do much more.

Mr Zelenskyy knows there are grumblings, particularly on the right of American politics, about the amount of help being given to his country.

This is his chance to meet American politicians of all stripes, look them in the eye, and say he needs more help – otherwise the freedom they say they value so much is in peril, and not just in Ukraine.

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