Mitch, GOPers drop in on Zel
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took three fellow Republican senators along on a surprise trip to Kyiv on Saturday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — as a bipartisan bill to send $40 billion in additional aid remained stalled in Congress and both Finland and Sweden mulled joining NATO.
The visit, the latest in a string of high-level US trips to Ukraine as the Russian invasion grinds on, was “a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine from the United States Congress and the American people,” Zelensky wrote on Instagram.
“Thank you for your leadership in helping us fight not only for our country, but also for democratic values and freedoms,” Zelensky added. “We really appreciate it.”
McConnell (R-Ky), along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), made the trip two days after their fellow Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, forced a temporary halt to the massive military and humanitarian aid bill.
A top Zelensky aide wrote that the visit signaled an imminent end to the impasse in Congress.
“Today, our state has the strong bipartisan and bicameral support of American friends,” Andrij Sybiha wrote on Facebook. “And the American people.”
President Biden is now one of the few top US officials yet to brave the war zone for an in-person meeting with Zelensky. Even First Lady Jill Biden slipped into Ukraine last week for an unannounced visit with Zelensky’s wife, Olena Zelenska.
The Republicans’ trip came as Finland was expected to join NATO, along with its neighbor Sweden.
Swedish leaders were expected to announce the end of two centuries of military nonalignment and join NATO, according to the Sunday Times of London.
Russian President Vladimir
Putin warned Finland’s president against its plan to apply for NATO membership.
The “end of the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake, since there is no threat to Finland’s security,” Putin told Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in a phone call, according to the Kremlin.
But Niinistö countered that Putin had only himself to blame — because his invasion of Ukraine had “altered the security environment of Finland,” the BBC reported.
Russia cut off electricity supplies to Finland on Friday as news of its expected NATO application spread.