Mike Pence made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Thursday and became the first Republican presidential candidate to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
His visit comes shortly after the Wagner Group uprising in Moscow and a deadly Russian attack on a pizzeria in Kramatorsk, Ukraine.
Pence visited three different towns and villages – Bucha, Irpin and Moschun – outside of Kiev. All three had been severely damaged by the Russian occupation last year.
The former vice president toured the wreck, met with locals and laid flowers at memorials.
His visit comes about four months after President Joe Biden’s visit to Kiev.
Mike Pence made a surprise trip to Ukraine as the first Republican presidential candidate to meet with President Zelenskyy
Pence said the trip reaffirmed his support for Ukraine.
“I believe that America is the leader of the free world,” he told NBC News. “But to come here as a private individual – to really see first hand the heroism of the Ukrainian soldiers who held the line in these forests, to see the heroism of the people here in Irpin who held back the Russian army to see families, their homes.” were literally shelled in the midst of a ruthless and unprovoked Russian invasion – this only reinforces my determination to do my part and continue to call for strong American support for our Ukrainian friends and allies.”
Pence has long supported Ukraine in its fight to repel the Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy said the support of every American is “vital”.
“The support of the United States in our fight for freedom is critical.” The support of every American, every American family, every civil society group, Congress – bipartisan, both houses, and of course, the support of President Joe Biden. “I am grateful for this support!” he wrote on Twitter.
“Today the 48th Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, is in Kiev. “We discussed our defence, the interaction between our nations, security cooperation and the importance of our partners’ resolve and certainty regarding Ukraine’s future membership of NATO.”
In March 2022, before announcing his presidential candidacy, Pence went to the Ukrainian border and met with refugees displaced by the fighting.
Both trips were organized by Samaritan’s Purse, CNN reported. It is an American evangelical disaster relief charity run by Rev. Franklin Graham. Pence and his wife Karen have volunteered with the organization.
He said he made the visit because “it’s important that the American people understand the progress we’ve made and how supporting the Ukrainian military was in our national interest.”
Other Republican presidential candidates have taken a different stance on Ukraine.
Donald Trump initially praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as “smart” but later said he could end the war in 24 hours.
Ron DeSantis originally called the war a “territorial dispute,” but later clarified his comment.
“What I mean is where the fighting is happening right now, which is the eastern border region of Donbas and then Crimea, and there’s a situation where Russia has experienced that.” I don’t think that’s legitimate, but they had it,” DeSantis told Fox Nation in March.
“There are a lot of ethnic Russians there.” So those are some tough fights and that’s what I was referring to and so I didn’t think Russia had a right to that and if I should have made that clearer I would have can do it.”
After a rocket attack in downtown Kramatorsk, Ukrainian firefighters continue to work to recover the remaining bodies from under the rubble at the Ria Pizza restaurant
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with Mike Pence in Kyiv
Mike Pence’s visit to Ukraine comes about four months after President Joe Biden traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Many Republican voters have expressed concern about the amount of money the US is giving to Ukraine, arguing that the money should be spent domestically.
According to a Pew Research poll, 44% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents think the US is giving too much aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive to repel Russian forces.
Kiev said its forces were gaining ground in Donbass — on the same day Russian attacks on a pizza restaurant in eastern Ukraine killed at least 12 people.
The Ria Pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk was popular with soldiers, journalists and aid workers. The rocket landed around 7:30 p.m. during the food rush.
Moscow, meanwhile, insisted that the Wagner Group insurgency that rocked President Vladimir Putin’s government would have no impact on Russia’s operations in Ukraine.