Pence met with Zelensky at the presidential palace in Kyiv, telling the Ukrainian leader that his resolve was stronger than ever to support the country. The former vice president made stops at three different cities and villages – Bucha, Irpin and Moschun – outside of Kyiv that had seen heavy destruction from shelling and gruesome violence against civilians under Russian occupation last year. He toured the wreckage, met with locals and laid flowers at memorials for those killed in the war.
In March 2022, long before he announced his candidacy, Pence went to the Ukrainian border and met with refugees displaced from their homes in escaping the violence. Both trips were organized by Samaritan’s Purse, an American evangelical disaster relief charityrun by pastor Franklin Graham. Pence and his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, have volunteered with the organization. The war in Ukraine has raged on for more than a year now.