Top Senate Republican Leads US Delegation to Meet Zelensky in Kyiv

The delegation vowed that the US would continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia

On Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) led a delegation of US senators on a trip to Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the latest high-level US visit to the country.

McConnell was joined by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). In a statement, McConnell said the delegation affirmed that the US would “sustain our support until Ukraine wins this war.”

Zelensky said that he discussed with the senators the “many areas of support for our state, including in defense and finance, as well as strengthening sanctions against Russia.”

Like other high-level US visits to Ukraine, McConnell’s trip was done in secret and was not made public until he was in Kyiv. Other US officials that visited Ukraine in recent weeks include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the first lady, Jill Biden.

Last week, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) warned that he believed the trips to Kyiv and other US support for Ukraine risk provoking Moscow and sparking a direct conflict between the US and Russia. “It looks like to me that we’re taking way too many chances of sending people over there for a photo op,” he said.

McConnell’s visit came after Sen. Rand Paul blocked a vote in the Senate on the nearly $40 billion aid package for Ukraine the majority of Congress wants to pass quicklypass. On Sunday, McConnell said he expects to hold a vote on the massive package on Wednesday.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.