A Ukrainian military captain asked Zelenskyy to give Biden a medal he had won for his service: 'Give it to a very brave president'

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday.
• Zelenskyy gave Biden a medal, saying it was at the request of the military captain who'd earned it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented President Joe Biden with a medal, saying it was at the request of the soldier who'd originally been awarded it.

Biden welcomed the Ukrainian president to the White House on Wednesday. During a meeting in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy said a Ukrainian soldier, whom he described as a "real hero, a real captain," asked him to pass along the award.

Zelenskyy said the soldier was the captain of a HIMARS battery — an advanced weapons system from the US.

"He's very brave, and he said, 'Give it to a very brave president,'" Zelenskyy said, adding that the award was a "cross for military merit" as he handed over a box that held the medal.

"Undeserved but much appreciated," Biden said. He also asked for the soldier's name so he could contact him and give him a "command coin."

The trip to the US marked Zelenskyy's first departure from Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. In addition to meeting with Biden, the Ukrainian president was expected to meet with other senior US officials on the trip and address a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday evening.

During the White House visit, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Biden for the support of the US during the war and came with a list of wishes for additional military aid.

Biden announced $1.85 billion in additional military aid for Kyiv, which would include the first transfer of a Patriot missile-defense system, the main air-defense system of the US military.