On Monday morning, a Ukrainian drone destroyed two Russian Raptor-class patrol ships near Snake Island in the Black Sea. This follows the weekend visit of a congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Ukrainian Chief of General Staff Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the Russian vessels were destroyed in a dawn attack.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has become the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Ukraine during the war. The surprise visit added fuel to a growing fire of Western support for the Ukrainian resistance.
The trip follows Moscow’s refocused military campaign that is struggling to make notable gains in eastern Ukraine. As Kyiv’s allies are increasing military support, both sides seem to be preparing for the likelihood of a long conflict.
“We are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom. Your fight is a fight for everyone, and so our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done.” Speaker Pelosi said during a meeting with Ukrainian officials, reported NBC News.
President Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the “powerful signal of support.”
“This shows that the United States today is a leader in strong support for Ukraine during the war against the aggression of the Russian Federation,” said President Zelensky.
Accompanying Speaker Pelosi on the trip were Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Jim McGovern, D-Mass., Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. This is the second major trip by U.S. officials, following a visit the previous weekend by Secretaries Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken. Also part of the delegation were Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Bill Keating, D-Mass, while it is not clear whether or not they were on the trip.
“Our Congressional Delegation had the solemn opportunity and extraordinary honor of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.
Our delegation traveled to Kyiv to send an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine,” said Speaker Pelosi in a press release on Sunday.
The congressional delegation is continuing on to Poland after their weekend visit in Kyiv.
According to the UN’s Human Rights office, more than 3,000 civilians have died in Ukraine since Russia began its invasion.
“The EU Commission is currently considering the inclusion of a total embargo on Russia’s fossil fuels in its sixth round of sanctions against Moscow,” reported Forbes.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
