KYIV -- Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, in a surprise visit to Ukraine, assured President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of his strong support for Kyiv’s "courageous" fight against the Russian invasion.
"Freedom is winning in Ukraine,” Pence told reporters on June 29 after meeting with Zelenskiy. “Now more than ever, we need to keep faith with the courageous fighters here in Ukraine who are standing for freedom and pushing back on Russian aggression."
Pence, who has been a strong advocate of aiding Ukraine since the Russian invasion of February 2022, is a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, running against his former president, Donald Trump, and several other candidates.
Pence is far behind Trump in the polls in the race for the nomination to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2024 election. Some leading candidates in his party have expressed more reluctance to aid Ukraine than has Pence, although Kyiv enjoys strong backing by both parties in Congress.
“I’m here because it’s important that the American people understand the progress that we’ve made and how support for the Ukrainian military has been in our national interest,” Pence said in remarks to NBC News.
Pence, who spent about 12 hours in Ukraine, also stopped in Moshchun, Bucha, and Irpin -- towns formerly occupied by Russian forces and the site of brutal killings of local citizens.
According to the Ukrainian presidential office, Zelenskiy thanked Pence for the support shown by both major U.S. parties for Kyiv’s fight against Russia.
"This support is not only with weapons, which is a top priority today. The United States provides us with financial assistance, humanitarian, and political support,” Zelenskiy said.
“We appreciate that both major U.S. parties -- Republican and Democratic -- remain united in supporting Ukraine. And, of course, we feel the strong support of the people of the United States," he added.
In June, the Biden administration provided defense aid packages of $2.1 billion and $500 million to Ukraine, bringing total support since February last year to more than $43 billion.
The office said Zelenskiy also informed Pence “in detail" about the situation on the battlefield and shared the Ukrainian assessment of recent events in Russia and how they will affect security in the region.
Prior to announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, Pence in March 2022 made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian border with Poland, crossing into the country to help deliver aid to refugees escaping the war during the first days of the invasion.