A group of Democratic lawmakers, including four senators and a member of the House of Representatives, will travel to Poland, India, Germany and the United Arab Emirates on a nine-day trip to rally support for Ukraine.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) announced the trip in an email Sunday night, but said additional schedule details could not be released due to security concerns.
Other Senators making the trip with Kelly are Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.), Cory Booker (DN.J.), Ed Markey (D-MA), along with Rep. Mondaire Jones (DN.Y.), the lonely house member.
“This strong congressional delegation will have the opportunity to meet with US military leaders and US troops in Poland to learn how the US can continue to support Ukraine and our NATO allies against Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war.” , lawmakers said in a joint statement .
“In addition, the delegation will meet with a number of key foreign leaders in Poland, the United Arab Emirates, India, Nepal and Germany to strengthen ties at this time of heightened global tensions.”
Aside from Poland, the key countries on the itinerary were notable for their lack of cooperation with the US-led effort to isolate Russia, given its 50-day war against Ukraine.
India, the world’s largest democracy, continues to import Russian oil and remains neutral in UN votes on human rights atrocities committed in Ukraine.
The oil-rich Gulf countries have resisted US demands to increase their oil supply to the world market in order to slash prices that have risen in efforts to sanction and curb Russian oil and gas exports.
And Germany has opposed joining calls by the US and other countries in Europe to further squeeze Russia’s war chest by halting global Russian oil and gas imports, which bring in about $1 billion a day.
Germany continues to rely on Russian natural gas supplies via a Nord Stream 1 pipeline, and its top officials have warned that turning off the tap is not an option for Europe’s most populous country.
Poland, due to its geographical proximity to Ukraine, has been a key part of the international response, working with charitable organizations to house and feed the vast majority of the millions of refugees who have fled Ukraine since the war began.
During a trip to Poland last month, President Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin could not remain in power, a comment the White House was quick to rescind.
He also pledged to take in 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and announced a deal with EU leaders to wean the region from Russian energy.
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Nepal is among a few Asian countries that have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and backed away from its policy of international neutrality.
The group of lawmakers is the latest of several US Congressional delegations that have traveled primarily to Europe since the war began.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) visited Poland earlier this month.