A bipartisan congressional delegation from the United States visited Kyiv on June 1–2 to support Ukraine’s fight against corruption and Russia’s war — and to oppose the completion of the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will bypass Ukraine’s gas transit network.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Rob Portman and Chris Murphy met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Andriy Taran, as well as some lawmakers and civil society and media representatives.
“We are here to express bipartisan support for the people of Ukraine, for the independence and progress Ukraine has made on reforms,” said Shaheen, the Democratic senator from New Hampshire, at a briefing on June 2.
Nord Stream 2
The senators reaffirmed their opposition to Nord Stream 2.
The pipeline is 100 kilometers from completion, Russia says.
When it becomes operational, the $11 billion project will double the capacity of the existing pipeline under the Baltic Sea — enabling 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas to be transported directly from Russia to Germany.
It bypasses Ukraine, which has only a five-year contract ending in 2024 for Russia to transport at least 40 billion cubic meters of gas for transit fees of at least $7 billion.
But with Nord Stream 2, Ukraine fears that Russia will stop using Ukraine’s pipelines, making it an easier target for a deeper Russian military invasion. Many in Europe are also worried that the pipeline will increase the Kremlin’s influence on the continent’s energy sector.
The project faces strong opposition in Congress and most of Europe, but the Biden administration announced it will waive sanctions against the company building the pipeline to “rebuild relationships” with its European partners. Germany, Biden’s highly-valued ally in Europe, will benefit the most from the Nord Stream 2, along with the Kremlin.
“Nord Stream 2 has serious implications for Ukraine, as well as for the future of energy security in Europe,” said Shaheen. “It gives Russia a weapon that could be used against Europe.”
Zelensky also sounded the alarm when meeting with the senators.
“We will have nothing to pay for the Ukrainian army,” Zelensky said in meeting the delegation. “Europe asks how you can protect yourself from Russia. The answer is very simple — do not give weapons to the enemy.”
The senators said they will continue looking for ways to stop the imminent completion of Nord Stream 2 and try to prevent the pipeline from becoming operational.
“As you know, there is a licensing process before (the pipeline) will begin operation, and during that time there will be elections in Germany, and in other countries that are affected, so we think there are further developments that will affect (the pipeline’s) completion,” Shaheen told journalists.
Russia’s war
The senators also voiced America’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, assuring that military and economic assistance to fight off the Kremlin will continue.
The delegation visited the Wall of Remembrance at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in the heart of Kyiv. The memorial is composed of portraits of fallen soldiers, killed in Russian aggression in Donbas and Crimea.
“We grieve for them and all of those families who have lost their loved ones,” Shaheen said.
The senators said they got a “virtual tour” of the front line of Russia’s war in Donbas and talked to the commanders in the field.
Taran briefed the visitors about the security situation around Ukraine’s borders and the prospects for the region’s further development, according to the Defense Ministry’s press service. He also spoke about strengthening the capability of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
“We got a very clear picture of the challenges that (Ukraine’s) troops and all those on the frontlines face,” Shaheen said.
“We see your freedom connected to our freedom,” Murphy said, after reminiscing about his first visit to Kyiv in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity, which toppled the pro-Russian president Victor Yanukovych and forced him and his cronies to flee Ukraine.
Back then, Murphy, along with the U. S. Senator John McCain and former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland, all visited Kyiv in solidarity with the ongoing protests.
“It is so heartwarming to see how much progress has been made,” Murphy added.
Reforms
The senators emphasized that more progress in making economic and political reforms is essential to continue receiving American aid.
In particular, the delegation told Zelensky they expect to see reforms of the Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, as well as the guaranteed independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, known as NABU, an institution that enjoys substantial trust from the West.
Zelensky assured them that SBU will be reformed to reduce some of its considerable powers, and the relevant bill has already been approved in the first reading in the parliament.
“Ukraine must be embraced by the West, and a part of that, in my view, is for the NATO accession process to proceed,” said Portman.
The senator said Ukraine should be brought closer to the European and North Atlantic community because the war against Russia in Eastern Ukraine affects democracies in those regions as well.
“Our ties with Ukraine are deep and abiding,” said Portman.
“We will be there, standing by with a country that is continuing to march for democracy and embracing the West. And the West must embrace Ukraine.”
