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McConnell heads to Kyiv and becomes the latest U.S. official to meet with Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) shakes hands with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) shakes hands with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.

Updated May 14, 2022 at 2:26 PM ET

LVIV, Ukraine — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joins a list of U.S. leaders who have visited Ukraine, heading a delegation of four Republican senators to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy described Saturday's visit as "a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine from the United States Congress."

Sens. Susan Collins, John Cornyn and John Barrasso joined McConnell on this trip, which came amid a hold-up in the Senate over a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine.

Other top U.S. officials to have met with Zelenskyy in Ukraine include:

  • Secretary of State Antony Blinken
  • Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
  • The meeting took place as Zelenskyy's government announced it had forced Russian troops away from the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv.

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    Greg Myre is a national security correspondent with a focus on the intelligence community, a position that follows his many years as a foreign correspondent covering conflicts around the globe.
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