Yahoo TV

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks in Kyiv on June 29 with Mike Pence, the former US Vice President and a current Republican candidate for president, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky said, “We discussed our defense, interaction between our nations, security cooperation, and importance of partners’ determination and certainty regarding Ukraine’s future membership in NATO.”

Zelensky said Ukraine appreciated “that both major US parties, the Republican and Democratic, remain united in their support for Ukraine.” He thanked the United States for its support, including recent defense aid packages worth $2.1 billion and $500 million, and “expressed gratitude for the loud voice of Mike Pence in support of Ukraine in the US Republican Party,” according to a press release from the president’s office.

The president told Pence that the provision of F-16 fighter jets, and the swift training of Ukrainian pilots, was of the utmost importance, and said he hoped NATO would give Ukraine more certainty about its potential membership during its summit in Vilnius scheduled for July 11 and 12.

“This is what will motivate our people. And this is also a weapon, but a political one. Perhaps it is even more powerful than missiles. For this, we must see our future in NATO,” Zelensky said.

Speaking to NBC News after the meeting, Pence criticized the Biden Administration for “dragging” its feet in providing military support to Ukraine. “I frankly heard that today,” said Pence, who noted delays on the transfer of M1 Abrams tanks and F-16s to Ukraine. Credit: President of Ukraine via Storyful