Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed all six of his deputy defense ministers on Monday in a major purge ahead of a much-anticipated visit to the United States.

The dismissals, which come weeks after Mr. Zelenskyy replaced the head of the defense ministry amid Ukraine‘s struggling military counteroffensive against Russian invaders, will hang in the backdrop Tuesday when the Ukrainian president addresses the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week in New York.

President Biden, who is also scheduled to deliver a speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday, is expected to meet with the Ukrainian president on the sidelines of the gathering of world leaders in New York.

Officials have said Mr. Zelenskyy will head to Washington later this week. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are planning to host a chamber-wide meeting Thursday with the Ukrainian president, according to congressional sources.

The visit comes as the Democratic and Republican Senate leaders lobby for more U.S. funding for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion. Congress is debating the president’s latest request to provide another $24 billion in military and humanitarian aid as Kyiv tries to fight off a Russian invasion launched in February 2022.

The idea of providing more U.S. aid has been met with increasing resistance from Capitol Hill Republicans, particularly in the House. Mr. McConnell and his allies have vehemently advocated for additional Ukraine spending, arguing it’s in America’s best interest to help Mr. Zelenskyy beat back Russia’s aggression.

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Officials in Kyiv gave no direct reason on Monday for the Ukrainian defense ministry shake-up, although speculation about a potential purge has swirled since early September when Mr. Zelenskyy moved suddenly to replace then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov with Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker.

Under pressure to justify the billions of dollars in outside aid flowing into the country, the Zelenskyy government has been investigating accusations of corruption in the military related to purchasing equipment and recruiting irregularities.

The developments come as a Ukrainian counteroffensive launched this spring struggles to make major gains against dug-in Russian forces along a more than 900-mile frontline in Ukraine‘s east after 18 months of war.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks as Ukrainian forces deploy Western-supplied advanced weapons and a growing number of Western-trained troops.

• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.