Pence visits Zelensky during surprise Ukraine visit

Former US vice-president Mike Pence, who is running for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Freedom is winning in Ukraine, and 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 told reporters after meeting with Zelensky.

Pence is the first Republican presidential candidate to meet Zelensky during the campaign.

Pence has been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a full supporter of Ukraine, as he takes on his former boss Donald Trump for their party’s nomination.

Trump has declined to say he wants Ukraine to win the war, instead saying he wants a negotiated solution between Russia and Ukraine.

Opinion polls

Pence trails Trump by over 30 points in most opinion polls among Republican voters who will chose the candidate to take on Democratic President Joe Biden.

Pence laid flowers at The Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv. He travelled to Ukraine with Samaritan’s Purse, a US-based charity that has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainian civilians, a Pence adviser said.

The US government has provided more than $40bn in weaponry and other military aid to Ukraine. Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey.

Pence also received a briefing from Ukrainian officials about Russian human rights violations since Russian forces invaded Ukraine 16 months ago.

The Ukraine war issue has divided Republican presidential candidates.

Trump’s closest rival for the nomination, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, has questioned the amount of aid that should be provided for Ukraine, while Nikki Haley, Trump’s former UN ambassador and South Carolina senator Tim Scott, back continuing support.

Reuters