Mike Pence Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine

Facts

• Former US Vice President and Republican presidential hopeful Mike Pence made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday and met with Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show his unwavering support for the country.¹
• Pence visited three cities that Russia had occupied outside of Kyiv — Moshchun, Bucha, and Irpin — and said he came to Ukraine as a "private citizen" to "see firsthand the heroism of the Ukrainian soldiers." Pence also maintained the US should lead in the fight against Russia.²
• Pence's trip lasted 12 hours and included multiple briefings from Ukrainian officials on the current state of the conflict. Pence is also the first GOP hopeful to meet with Zelenskyy as he looks to differentiate himself from a field of mixed opinions on US intervention in the conflict.³
• Pence called out Republicans who have warned about the continued financial and humanitarian cost of unconditional support to Ukraine, saying the party has no room for alleged "Putin apologists." He argued America has an obligation to be the leader of the free world and support Ukraine at all costs.⁴
• In addition to criticizing Republicans with tepid stances on US involvement, Pence also criticized Pres. Biden for not providing military support to Ukraine fast enough. However, he stopped short of saying the US should send troops to the conflict.⁵
• His hawkish support for Ukraine is unpopular among Republican voters, 52% of whom "'would be less likely" to support a candidate that is in favor of sending more money and weapons to Ukraine.⁶

Sources: ¹CNN, ²Daily Mail, ³Washington Examiner, ⁴Associated Press, ⁵NBC, and ⁶Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by GVS. Mike Pence is taking a strong stance as he embarks on his presidential campaign — indicating that a candidate can be a conservative Republican while also supporting democracy around the world. While other GOP candidates like Donald Trump are indifferent, at best, to Vladimir Putin’s aggression, Mike Pence is showing that the US’ support for Ukraine is not partisan, but rather about America’s commitment to protecting democracy and sovereignty abroad.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Gateway Pundit. Mike Pence is showing his true colors as a stooge for the regime that is at the beck and call of the military-industrial complex. Pence not only supports sending endless money to promote a never-ending war, but he actually criticized Joe Biden for not being obedient enough in his funding of Ukraine. Americans, especially GOP primary voters, are sick of warmongers from the uni-party and will never support Mike Pence.

Predictions