Former Vice President Mike Pence meets with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in surprise trip to Ukraine

Former Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise visit to Ukraine Thursday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a crucial moment in the war with Russia.

Incredibly humbling to be in Ukraine to meet with @ZelenskyyUa and see firsthand the heartbreaking wreckage caused by Vladimir Putin and his unprovoked invasion. pic.twitter.com/YaZTL7ToM7

— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 29, 2023

Pence, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, arrived in the country just after the Wagner mercenary group's rebellion that advanced toward Moscow and the deadly Russian missile strike on a crowded pizza restaurant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.

Pence's trip marks the first visit to Ukraine by a Republican presidential candidate since announcing a bid for the White House. The former vice president has been one of the most outspoken candidates calling for continued U.S. support for Ukraine, breaking with current front-runners including former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"I believe America’s the leader of the free world," Pence told NBC News. “But coming here just as a private citizen − being able to really see firsthand the heroism of the Ukrainian soldiers holding the line in those woods, see the heroism of the people here in Irpin that held back the Russian army, to see families whose homes were literally shelled in the midst of an unconscionable and unprovoked Russian invasion − just steels my resolve to do my part, to continue to call for strong American support for our Ukrainian friends and allies.”

So far during his visit, Pence has received a briefing by Ukrainian officials on the county's current security situation and laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine at St. Michael's Cathedral, according to a statement from Pence's campaign.

Pence traveled to Ukraine with Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical Christian humanitarian organization, which he previously traveled with to Ukraine in March 2022 and toured the Poland-Ukrainian border.