Pence becomes first Republican presidential candidate to visit Ukraine, meet with Zelensky
Mike Brest
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Former Vice President Mike Pence, a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, traveled to Ukraine on Thursday, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Pence’s trip, which reportedly included stops in Moshchun, Bucha, and Irpin — three cities Russian forces occupied, and where they allegedly committed widespread war crimes — came at a crucial time in Kyiv’s counteroffensive due to infighting within Russia’s ranks. He also received a briefing from Ukrainian officials on the current situation in Ukraine and he visited St. Andrew’s Church and Pyervozvannoho All Saints.
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“I believe America’s the leader of the free world,” Pence told NBC News. “But coming here just as a private citizen — being able to really see firsthand the heroism of the Ukrainian soldiers holding the line in those woods, see the heroism of the people here in Irpin that held back the Russian army, to see families whose homes were literally shelled in the midst of an unconscionable and unprovoked Russian invasion — just steels my resolve to do my part, to continue to call for strong American support for our Ukrainian friends and allies.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, a top Zelensky adviser, said Pence “understands absolutely clearly what Russia is.”
Pence, while he was in Ukraine, was briefed on alleged human rights violations. This included the abductions of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russian reeducation camps, according to an adviser. Pence also participated in a short commemoration ceremony for defenders of Ukraine who lost their lives during the defense and liberation of Moshchun and laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine at St. Michael’s Cathedral.
The presidential hopeful is the first declared candidate to meet with Zelensky. Pence has previously expressed support for Ukraine’s continued defense, separating himself from some of the other candidates, who have expressed varying levels of interest in continuing the Biden administration’s support in a new administration.
That split among GOP presidential hopefuls is representative of a larger divide within the party about whether the U.S. should continue arming Ukraine and at what cost.
“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 regarding the split in the party. “I truly do believe that now, more than ever, we need leaders in our country who will articulate the importance of American leadership in the world.”
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Pence’s one-time boss, former President Donald Trump, has largely declined to provide specifics of how he’d address the war on the campaign trail, though he’s said on multiple occasions he’d end the war within one day. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), another leading candidate, initially described the war as a “territorial dispute” but backtracked following criticism. Comparatively, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) have supported backing Ukraine.
The former vice president traveled to Ukraine last year before entering the presidential primary.