Senators visit Kyiv, discuss Russian aggression, Nord Stream 2

Three U.S. Senators met with President of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky and other members of the Ukrainian government on June 2 in
Kyiv. The senators, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Robert Portman (R-OH), and
Christopher Murphy (D-CT), issued a joint release declaring that they visited
to “show U.S. solidarity with Ukraine against Russian aggression … as well as
encourage progress on democratic reforms.” The public statement from Zelensky
focused on the assessment of the security situation along the border,
especially in regard to Donbas, and the possible completion and use of the Nord
Stream 2 pipeline. Regarding the pipeline, Zelensky stated that if it is used
and Russia stops using the pipeline through Ukraine, the loss of revenue would
prevent Ukraine from funding its military.

James Hydzik: Compared to the visit of Secretary Blinken, this trip was rather
low-key, even though Portman is the senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee and co-chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and as such has a more
targeted vision of affairs in Ukraine. However, the three senators’ trip is
more regional in nature, with stops in Lithuania to discuss Belarusian issues,
and (for Shaheen and Portman) Georgia. It can be seen as assurance in the midst
of some rather severe saber rattling on the part of not only Belarus but also
Russia, which analysts say has removed only about 10,000 of the 100,000 troops
moved to Ukraine’s border during the spring. Also unlike Blinken’s visit, which
had governance and corruption as a theme, the security emphasis made for a
calmer meeting.