By VANESSA GERA
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A U.S. congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the braveness of the Ukrainian folks in remarks throughout a go to to Poland on Sunday, a day after a shock journey to Kyiv to satisfy with President Volodymr Zelenskyy.
The American legislators assessed Ukraine’s wants for the subsequent section of the warfare, with Pelosi vowing that Washington would stand with the nation till it defeats Russia.
Pelosi, a California Democrat who’s second in line to the presidency after the vp, was probably the most senior American lawmaker to go to Ukraine since Russia’s warfare started greater than two months in the past. Her beforehand unannounced go to got here simply days after Moscow bombed the Ukrainian capital whereas the U.N. secretary-general was there.
Pelosi and a half-dozen U.S. lawmakers met for 3 hours late Saturday with Zelenskyy and his high aides to get a first-hand evaluation of the warfare effort thus far. Speaking to reporters Sunday in Poland, the delegation members had been unanimous in praising Ukraine’s defenses to date, in portray the battle of 1 nearly as good towards evil and in assuring continued long-term U.S. army, humanitarian and financial help.
“We were proud to convey to him the message of unity from the Congress of the United States, a message of appreciation from the American people for his leadership and admiration for the people of Ukraine for their courage,” Pelosi mentioned.
Their go to got here two days after U.S. President Joe Biden requested Congress for $33 billion to bolster Ukraine’s struggle towards Russia, greater than twice the dimensions of the preliminary $13.6 billion support measure that Congress enacted early final month and now could be virtually drained. With the warfare dragging into its third month, the measure was designed to sign to Russian President Vladimir Putin that U.S. weaponry and different types of help weren’t going away.
“This is a time we stand up for democracy or we allow autocracy to rule the day,” mentioned Rep. Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York.
“This is a struggle of freedom against tyranny,” mentioned Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California. “And in that struggle, Ukraine is on the front lines.”
Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, a veteran and a member of the House intelligence and armed providers committee, mentioned he got here to Ukraine with three areas of focus: “Weapons, weapons and weapons.”
“We have to make sure the Ukrainians have what they need to win. What we have seen in the last two months is their ferocity, their intense pride, their ability to fight and their ability to win if they have the support to do so.”
“The United States of America is in this to win, and we will stand with Ukraine until victory is won,” he added.
The full congressional delegation included Meeks, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee; Jim McGovern of Massachusetts who chairs the House Rules Committee; Crow, Barbara Lee of California; and Bill Keating of Massachusetts.
“You all are welcome,” Zelenskyy informed the delegation, in accordance with a video of the encounter launched by his workplace.
Pelosi informed Zelenskyy: “We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom.”
“We are on a frontier of freedom and your fight is a fight for everyone. Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done,” Pelosi added.
The delegation continued its journey in southeast Poland, and members had been later visiting the capital, Warsaw, to satisfy with President Andrzej Duda and different senior officers. Poland has acquired greater than 3 million refugees from Ukraine since Russia launched its warfare on Feb. 24.
“We look forward to thanking our Polish allies for their dedication and humanitarian efforts,” Pelosi mentioned.
Speaking at a information convention in Poland, Pelosi mentioned she and others within the delegation applauded the braveness of the Ukrainian folks. She added that the delegation introduced Zelenskyy “a message of appreciation from the American people for his leadership.”
McGovern mentioned Russia’s warfare had repercussions far past Ukraine, saying it was exacerbating a meals disaster that might be disastrous for poor folks throughout the globe.
“Putin’s brutal war is no longer only a war against the people of Ukraine,” McGovern mentioned. “It’s also a war against the world’s most vulnerable.”
He added that Ukraine is a “breadbasket of the world.”
“I don’t think that Putin cares if he starves the world,” McGovern mentioned.
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A earlier model of this story was corrected to point out that Pelosi is second in line to the presidency, not third.
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More AP protection of the warfare at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Source: www.bostonherald.com”