Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of United States House of Representatives, visited Ukraine on Saturday and President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. A full congressional delegation travelled alongside Pelosi.
Pelosi’s previously unannounced trip marked the visit of the highest-ranking United States official since Russia’s assault on Ukraine began on February 24. The House Speaker is second in line for the United States Presidency and ranks behind the Vice President.
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The Congressional delegation that was alongside Nancy Pelosi included officials like Jason Crow, Jim McGovern and Adam Schiff, according to reports from Associated Press citing footage released early Sunday by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.
Zelensky greeted the delegation outdoors before they adjourned to a meeting room where he said, “I am grateful to you for this signal of strong support from the United States, the people, and Congress — bicameral and bipartisan support.”
“This shows that the United States today is a leader in strong support for Ukraine during the war against the aggression of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said.
Pelosi told Zelensky: “We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom.”
“We are on a frontier of freedom and your fight is a fight for everyone. Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done,” Pelosi added.
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The United States has been expanding its footprint in Ukraine over the last few weeks — both diplomatically and by sending executives. Pelosi’s visit was a follow-up to a trip to Kyiv made by United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin.
The two senior cabinet members, on behalf of US President Joe Biden, vowed that United States would start sending its diplomats to Kyiv in the coming week. In addition, military aid was also offered to help Ukrainian forces fend off Russia.