US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Europe, News, US May 2, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Ukraine on May 1, along with a congressional delegation to hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Pelosi, the second in line to become president after the vice president, has become the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Ukraine, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022. Her visit marks a major show of support for Ukraine as the country struggles to fight Moscow’s invasion.

During her meeting with President Zelenskyy, Pelosi stated, “We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom. Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done.”

Pelosi further added that “Our delegation traveled to Kyiv to send an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine. We are here until victory is won.”

President Zelenskyy took Twitter to thank Pelosi and her delegation for their support to “protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity ” of Ukraine. He stated that “The U.S. is leading strong support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. We’ll win and we’ll win together.”

Considering the security concerns on the ground, the trip was not announced previously. The congressional delegation also included Adam Schiff, Jim McGovern, and Barbara Lee, among other U.S. Congress members.

After making a short trip to Kyiv the delegation continued its trip to the Polish capital of Warsaw where they held a meeting with President Andrzej Duda and other high-level Polish officials. The delegation discussed the refugee situation in Poland as the country has received more than three million refugees since the war in Ukraine started earlier this year.

*^{U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Image Credit: Reuters)}*

While speaking at the press briefing in Poland, congress member Adam Schiff said that during the meeting between the U.S. legislators and President Zelenskyy, they spoke about sanctions, weapons, and aid assistance. He said that we have promised to continue intelligence sharing between U.S. and Ukraine. “This is a struggle of freedom against tyranny,” Schiff said. “And in that struggle, Ukraine is on the front lines.”

Several high-level U.S. officials have visited Ukraine since the Russian invasion started. Earlier on April 25, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Ukraine to hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

During their visit, they reaffirmed their country’s support for Ukraine and announced at least $700 million in military aid. Similarly, in March, U.S. President Joe Biden also marked his trip to Poland in Rzeszow, a border town near Ukraine, in order to show his support to the Ukrainian President against the Russian invasion.