Kyiv: US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and his delegation have called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky, expressing solidarity with Russia. A United Nations-led rescue mission to evacuate people from a steel plant in Mariupol is in progress.
After returning from Kiev to Poland, Pelosi said the trip was to send a message to the world that the United States was firmly with Ukraine. He said a new bill to provide $ 1.66 billion in military aid to Ukraine had been prepared.
It was not announced in advance that a Democratic delegation would visit Kyiv at 3pm on Saturday. Pelosi, 82, is the oldest U.S. leader to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
The speaker of the House of Representatives is the third highest-ranking official after the US President and Vice President. Selensky honors Pelosi with the Princess Olga Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Ukraine
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say a newly built runway at the main airport in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa was destroyed in a Russian missile strike.
Russia claims to have destroyed US stockpile of weapons in Odessa in Ukraine. Russia claims that Ukrainian forces shelled schools, kindergartens and cemeteries in the Russian-occupied southern region of Kherson, killing many civilians.
The Ukrainian military says it has rescued several local women and children trapped in the wreckage of a steel plant that continues its Russian offensive in Mariupol.
About a thousand people, including soldiers and locals, are still staying in the giant steel plant complex that has not been captured by Russia. Many people are suffering here without proper medical care, including those who are seriously injured.
Meanwhile, Hollywood actress and UN refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie visited the western city of Lviv. They shared the concerns of those who suffered direct losses and displacement due to the war. The actress returned after spending time with Livy’s kids.
Ukrainian President Selensky also confirmed that the evacuation of the steel plant in Mariupol was in progress. A rescue team of 100 people has left. The plan is to evacuate people to the city of Zaporizhia, 230 km away.
British military officials say they have begun moves to convert currency transactions into rubles in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson. They said they had received information that Russia had given them a four-month delay here.
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