(Credit: Screenshot/@RepBrianFitz)
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick traveled to Ukraine late last week, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and visiting front-line troops amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Fitzpatrick, a five-term Republican congressman and former FBI special agent who worked in Ukraine, met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv late in the week.
“A lot of people talk a big game about supporting Ukraine. I’m here in Kyiv, Ukraine for one-on-one meetings with President Zelenskyy himself to actually make it happen,” the congressman posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Zelenskyy said the key topics of discussion were “efforts to establish a dignified and lasting peace, the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire, and security guarantees for Ukraine.”
Fitzpatrick has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, even as relations between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump have deteriorated.
“While often avoiding criticizing Trump by name, he has sought to rebut much of the president’s broadsides against Ukraine and its president. Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for igniting the war that Russia actually started, and has attacked his Ukrainian counterpart for what he characterized as Zelenskyy taking advantage of the U.S.” Politico reported.
In a video address from the front lines published on his Facebook page, Fitzpatrick lauded the “amazing fighting spirit” of the Ukrainian military.
“These are amazing soldiers, the men and women of the Ukrainian military, much like the men and women of the U.S. military, have this amazing fighting spirit. They’re fighting for their democracy, they’re fighting for the freedom – all of us in America need to stand behind them,” he said.
Fitzpatrick’s visit occurs as the Trump administration has signaled a potential end to its mediation efforts if either side in the conflict becomes obstructive, according to the New York Times.
In a Facebook post, Fitzpatrick shared a video of himself signing an artillery shell with a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It was my profound honor to deliver a very ‘personal’ message to Vladimir Putin today, from the front lines of the war near the Russian border, on behalf of our PA-1 community,” he wrote, referencing his district with a significant Ukrainian-American population.
The congressman in Ukraine. (Credit: Screenshot/@RepBrianFitz)The congressman visit artillery units and drone operators near the front lines
Fitzpatrick said that his group was shelled near the Russian border, tracked by Russian drones, and forced into an emergency evacuation.
In an interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” after returning to Washington D.C. on Sunday, Fitzpatrick called Zelenskyy a “friend” and a “great leader,” noting Zelenskyy’s concerns regarding the security assurances outlined in the Budapest Memorandum signed with the U.S. in the early 1990s.
Fitzpatrick asserted that Putin “is not a man of his word” and urged the U.S. to “stop being fearful or bowing down to Russia.”
The congressman affirmed that Russia invaded Ukraine, a fact that some Republican peers have questioned.
Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine began in 2014, escalating into a full-scale invasion in 2022.
The BBC reported that Trump blamed the Ukrainian president for Russia’s invasion last week.
“I’ll do everything in my power to ensure Ukraine wins—because peace through strength is not just a principle, it’s our duty,” the congressman posted on social media.
