Ukrainian President Zelensky speaks at the US National Defense University on December 11. (Source: Anadolu/Getty Images)

“Thank you for supporting Ukraine and congratulating us on the successes of our country and our people,” Zelensky said on his Telegram channel after meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Washington. “Amidst the conflict, we are implementing reforms to strengthen our institutions and working with our partners to provide more economic opportunities for our people.”

Also on December 11, President Zelensky expressed hope that he could still count on the United States as he began an important visit to Washington, amid questions about future US military aid to Ukraine.

Speaking at the US National Defense University, the leader said: "We will not give up. We know what to do and you can count on Ukraine, as we hope we can count on you."

The administration of US President Joe Biden has warned the US Congress that not continuing to provide military support to Kiev could turn the conflict in Russia's favor, creating a national security threat to Western countries.

Biden's Democratic allies in Congress are trying to win Republican approval for a new $50 billion security aid package for the Eastern European country as US lawmakers are set to go into recess on December 15.

In another development, on December 11, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that his country supports giving the green light to start negotiations for Ukraine to join the European Union (EU) at the EU Summit this week.

Speaking on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Foreign Minister Tajani said: “We expressed our support for starting negotiations with Ukraine for its EU membership.

We note Kiev's decision to adopt a new law on the Hungarian minority in the country, which I have been demanding since I was President of the European Parliament. At the same time, we demand that work be done to speed up the EU accession process of the Balkan countries and Bosnia."