Breaking news overnight. NBC News confirms that Ukrainian President Voltaire Zelensky will address tomorrow's NATO summit.

President Biden departs from Brussels and just a few hours from now, where he is expected to announce new sanctions against Russian lawmakers.

We'll set the stage for this critical meeting of allies.

And today's other big story, day three of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Katanji Brown Jackson.

Pressed by conservatives on the issue of critical race theory and allegations that she's soft on crime,

Jackson took questions yesterday for more than 13 hours. Today, she's back in the

hot seat for another round.

Good morning and welcome to way too early. I'm Jonathan Lemire on this Wednesday, March 23rd.

Let's get started with the news. President Biden leaves for Brussels later this morning

ahead of a meeting with NATO leaders tomorrow and a visit to Poland on Friday. During his

trip, Biden may announce plans for the U.S. to permanently maintain an increased number of

troops in Eastern Europe, including Poland. Biden and his European counterparts are also expected to announce new sanctions

against Russia, as well as new measures to tighten existing ones. According to my own reporting,

when it comes to the crisis in Ukraine, the pressure Biden is facing here at home is mirrored

among his NATO allies. While their domestic situations differ, all of them are

trying to balance the moral imperative to act on behalf of Ukraine with fears of further escalating

the conflict and the economic costs of implementing an aggressive sanctions regime against Russia.

The trickiness of Biden's job, however, is felt more acutely, given the expectations much of the world is now placing on his shoulders.

A possible flashpoint?

Whether Europe will reduce its dependence on Russian energy, a reliance that is helping fuel Moscow's war machine.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan suggested yesterday that steps towards such a move where possible, but allies also

recognize this. More than likely, this war only ends when Vladimir Putin decides it does.

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