A delegation consisting of Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, and a group of Republican senators made a surprise visit to Ukraine. The delegation met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.
In the video published on Zelenski’s Telegram account, there were images of McConnell as well as the delegation consisting of Republican senators Susan Collins, John Barrasso and John Cornyn, meeting in the capital and shaking hands with Zelenski.
Zelenski described the visit as “a strong sign of support for Ukraine, regardless of party, by the US Congress and the American people.”
The visit set a new example of America’s solidarity with Ukraine, which is at war with Russia.
The visit of the Republican senators coincided with a time when the Senate was working to approve a nearly $40 billion aid package for Ukraine. If the package is approved in Congress, the amount of American aid to the region will exceed 50 billion dollars.
Senate approval of the package was delayed by Republican Senator Rand Paul’s request to include a proposal to appoint an investigator to oversee the new spending. However, the final approval of the package is considered certain and the process in Congress is expected to be completed next week.
“They are simply demanding and urgently needing the resources they need to defend themselves against this unstable invasion,” McConnell said last week.
The delegation’s visit was the second high-level visit from the US Congress to Ukraine in recent weeks. Another delegation of Democratic Party members of Congress, chaired by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, also held talks in Ukraine on May 1 and promised Zelenski that “US support will continue until the war ends”.
President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, also visited western Ukraine on Mother’s Day last weekend and met with Zelenski’s wife, Olena Zelenska.