This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Nick Miles, and at 14 hours GMT on Wednesday 21 December, these are our main stories.

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is on his way to the United States.

His first trip abroad since the Russian invasion.

Taliban guards in Afghanistan have stopped hundreds of young women entering university campuses

a day after they suspended higher education for female students.

The foreign ministers, Australia and China have held talks in Beijing following several

years of diplomatic tension.

Also in this podcast.

It breaks my heart.

The only thing they want to do is to force us into making these free animals into trapped

cattle.

The reindeer herd as fighting the mind that would cut into their lands.

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is traveling to Washington on his first

trip abroad since the Russian invasion in February.

Mr. Zelensky said on a tweet that he would meet President Biden and address Congress, and

that his visit would strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.

Our correspondent in Kiev Hugo Bachega gave us this update.

I think the headline here is that President Biden is going to announce that the U.S. will

provide the Patriot missiles to the Ukrainians.

The Ukrainians have been saying that they need this kind of technology, air defense systems

to protect the country from these Russian air strikes.

...