'We thought we could die': Nancy Pelosi on visiting Ukraine last year
Pelosi was the highest-ranking elected US official to visit Kyiv at the time
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Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi made a surprise visit to Ukraine during this time, nearly a year ago when the war had just begun. Reflecting on the visit, Pelosi in an interview with The Associated Press conceded that she and her delegation thought they could die in the warzone.
“We never feared about it, but we thought we could die because we’re visiting a serious, serious war zone. We had great protection, but nonetheless, a war - theater of war," said Pelosi.
Pelosi was the highest-ranking elected US official to visit Kyiv at the time. Alongside her, democratic representatives, Barbara Lee, Jason Crow, Gregory Meeks, Jim McGovern, Adam Schiff and Bill Keating also made their way to the war-torn country.
The Democrat leader lauded the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who stood outside in the street to meet her, instead of some protected space.
“The courage of the president in greeting us on the street rather than us just meeting him in his office was yet again another symbol of the courage of the people of Ukraine," she added.
Even at the time, Pelosi told Zelensky that her visit to Kyiv was a way to say thank you.
"We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom. We are on a frontier of freedom and your fight is a fight for everyone. Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done," she said back then.
Speaking about support for Ukraine, Pelosi said she was confident that despite Republicans casting aspersions over the release of billions of grants, the Congress will continue to back Kyiv against Moscow.
“Support for Ukraine has been bipartisan and bicameral, in both houses of Congress by both parties, and the American people support democracy in Ukraine,” Pelosi told AP. “I believe that we will continue to support as long as we need to support democracy... as long as it takes to win.”
In what was a rare occurrence, pelosi also lauded newly elected Speaker Kevin McCarthy for hosting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library earlier this month.
“That was really quite a message and quite an optic to be there. And so I salute what he did,” she said.
Apart from visiting Ukraine, Pelosi's whirlwind trip to Taiwan was the highlight of her last year in the office. She visited the island in August and immediately after, China began a mammoth military exercise, aimed at sending a strong message. Speaking about Beijing's sharp rebuke, Pelosi termed it a 'cowardly' act.
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