A delegation of senators from the US Republican Party met this Saturday (14) in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting, not announced in advance, is the latest in a series of visits by US political officials to Ukraine in an attempt to show solidarity with the country invaded by Russia on February 24.
In the Ukrainian capital, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, senator from the state of Kentucky, and his co-religionists Susan Collins (of Maine), John Barrasso (of Wyoming) and John Cornyn (of Texas) were present.
In an Instagram post, Zelensky said the visit represents “a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine on the part of the US Congress and the American people”.
The US Senate is currently discussing a nearly $40 billion package of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which would represent the largest transfer of US resources to the country as a result of the war. The bill has already passed the House of Representatives and is expected to be voted on in the Senate next week.
Ahead of the Republican senators’ visit, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Zelensky in Kyiv alongside other Democratic Party lawmakers. Last weekend, First Lady Jill Biden met in western Ukraine with the wife of the Ukrainian president, Olena Zelenska, for a Mother’s Day gathering.
Earlier, in April, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were in Kyiv. For now, President Joe Biden has expressed no intention of going to Ukraine, despite requests from Zelensky.
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