Exactly when the visit took place is unknown, and it was not reported in advance.
WASHINGTON – Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell led a delegation of Republicans to war-torn Ukraine will meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
The video, posted on Zelensky’s Instagram account on Saturday, includes McConnell, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, John Baraso of Wyoming and John Cornin of Texas.
It is unclear when the visit took place and whether the senators are still in Ukraine.
“The visit of the US Senate delegation led by the Republican minority leader in the upper house of Congress (Mitch) McConnell is a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine from the United States Congress and the American people,” the translation said. Zelensky wrote in Ukrainian. “Thank you for the leadership that helps us fight not only for our country, but also for democratic values ​​and freedoms. We really appreciate it. “
The visit came shortly after Republican Sen. Rand Paul withdrew a $ 40 billion aid package designed to bolster Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion. Paul, the only dissenter in the Senate, demanded an overseer to track the money.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi led a separate delegation of noble Democrats to Ukraine two weeks ago before a vote in the House of Representatives, which approved a package of aid that later suffered from Paul.
McConnell and Pelosi’s visit was unannounced, as was First Lady Jill Biden’s visit to Mother’s Day. Secret visits by high-ranking US officials underscore Washington’s bipartisan support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, as well as the danger of VIPs traveling to conflict zones.
The Ukrainian capital Kyiv has not been the main target of Russian attacks for weeks, since fierce resistance from Ukraine brought heavy losses to the invaders and forced Moscow to divert troops to focus on storming from the East.
But since then, Russian bombings of the capital have sometimes coincided or occurred immediately after visits by Western leaders.
In late April, Russian troops shelled Kyiv in the boldest assault since withdrawing from the area two weeks earlier. The attack took place during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the deadly blow was the “middle finger” of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the UN and the West as a whole.
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/mcconnell-ukraine-visit/507-c49823f7-97a7-41d0-b790-5d01d05ce866
