2023-06-29 21:58:27
He former Vice President of the United States and now candidate for the Republican Party primaries, Mike Pence, has traveled this Thursday by surprise to the capital of Ukraine, kyivwhere he also held a meeting with the Ukrainian head of state, Volodimir Zelenski.
During the meeting, Zelensky expressed to Pence the gratitude of the Ukrainian authorities and population for the continued support that the US citizenry, President Joe Biden and Congress have given Kiev since the outbreak of the war.
“It is not just support with weapons, which is the top priority today. The United States provides us with financial aid, humanitarian support and political support. We appreciate that the two main parties in the United States (…) remain united in their support for Ukraine” Zelensky has stated.
Beyond military or financial support, the Ukrainian president has influenced Pence that kyiv needs members of the Atlantic Alliance to show support for Ukraine’s NATO membershippointing directly to the upcoming Vilnius summit as a good setting for this gesture.
“This is what will motivate our people. It is also a weapon (…) perhaps it is even more powerful than rockets. For this, we must see our future in NATO”, remarked President Zelenski, who has not missed the opportunity to also stress the importance of receiving F-16 fighter jets.
Former Vice President Pence’s visit, the first by a Republican presidential candidate, comes at a high point in the war after the Wagner Group paramilitaries, led by Yevgeni Prigozhin, rebelled against Russian military leadership last weekend.
The one who was ‘number two’ for Donald Trump during his term (2017-2021) has stood out for his firm defense of Ukraine against the Russian invasion –started at the end of February 2022–, thus contrasting with some influential voices in his party who oppose military assistance to kyiv.
In addition to meeting with Zelensky, Pence plans to visit the cities of Bucha or Irpin, located on the outskirts of kyiv and the scene of massacres allegedly perpetrated by Russian troops during the time they controlled those towns.
“To see families whose homes were literally bombed in the midst of an unprovoked and rampant Russian invasion, It only strengthens my resolve to do my part to continue to call for strong American support for our Ukrainian friends and allies.“Pence said in statements to the US network NBC.
For his part, the main advisor to the Ukrainian Presidency, Mikhailo Podoliak, has assured that former Vice President Pence “understands completely clearly what Russia is.” “He deeply understands Russia and understands the nature of this conflict,” he said.
Pence, who aspires to be the Republican candidate in the US presidential election in November 2024, gives this trip a sign of his future support for Ukraine if he wins the support of US citizens.
Opposite him in the Republican Party primaries, Trump himself stands out, who during his tenure maintained a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and who has claimed to be able to extinguish the conflict simply by calling the leaders of Russia and Ukraine. .
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