Mike Pence travels to Ukraine border, assures refugees that Americans are standing with them in prayer
Former Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Ukraine with several Americans who are working to help thousands who are now displaced amid the country's war with Russia.
Pence and his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, were at the Poland-Ukraine border Thursday where they met with leaders of the Christian charitable organization Samaritan’s Purse that is setting up a field hospital near the Ukrainian border to treat those who have suffered injuries.
The Vice President elaborated on his trip in a Twitter thread, writing: “@KarenPence and I visited the Ukraine border today with [Edward Graham] and @SamaritansPurse to meet with Ukrainian women and children seeking refuge from war. 2.4 million refugees have already flared Ukraine and nearly 400,000 have already come through the Korczowa border crossing.”
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.@KarenPence and I visited the Ukraine border today with @EdwardG1911 and @SamaritansPurse to meet with Ukrainian women and children seeking refuge from war. 2.4 million refugees have already fled Ukraine and nearly 400,000 have already come through the Korczowa border crossing. pic.twitter.com/tFZcC4X7mA
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 10, 2022
“The impact of the Russian invasion on these families is heartbreaking and the need for support is great,” added Pence, who encouraged his followers to pray and contribute to Samaritan’s Purse and other charitable organizations. “Let’s stand together as one with the people of Ukraine.”
In Poland, Pence delivered a message to the Ukrainian people, informing them that “Americans are standing with them in prayer,” Samaritan’s Purse added in an update posted on its website. He also expressed gratitude for the efforts of numerous volunteers: “I appreciate that Samaritan’s Purse is always on the frontlines in help with Jesus’ name. Where there is suffering, you are there.”
The Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, thanked the former vice president and his wife for visiting with the volunteers and Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes. In addition to thanking the Pences for visiting. He also shared a conversation he overheard between Pence and one evacuee.
“One Ukrainian told Vice President @Mike_Pence what an encouragement their visit was and the former Vice President responded, ‘No, you are the ones who inspire and encourage us.’ He assured them of our continued prayers and support," Graham wrote on Twitter.
I want to thank former Vice President @Mike_Pence and his wife @KarenPence for coming to Ukraine to visit our @SamaritansPurse team there and meet many refugees crossing the border into Poland. pic.twitter.com/TO5skJU8yl
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) March 10, 2022
Graham reflected further on the Pences visit to Ukraine in a statement shared with The Christian Post: “I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Pence. I’m grateful for their support of the Ukrainian people and that they took the time to encourage our staff who are serving on the ground. We need to continue to pray for Ukraine and pray for peace.”
The head of Samaritan's Purse also provided an update on the organization's plans to open a field hospital in Ukraine, which he discussed in an interview with CP earlier this week. “We have been able to open our clinic at the train station in Lviv and plan to have the field hospital open this [weekend]. We are sending a 747 cargo planeload of supplies today. My son [Edward Graham] is also on the ground there w/ our team.”
Pence’s trip to Ukraine comes as his successor, Vice President Kamala Harris, has also traveled to Eastern Europe. In Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, Harris announced that the U.S. government would provide $53 million in new humanitarian assistance to “support innocent civilians affected by Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine.” The additional aid builds upon the $54 million the U.S. set aside two weeks ago to provide “critically needed health supplies, food assistance, high thermal blankets, and other relief.”
Harris will travel to Bucharest, Romania, later this week. In a tweet posted Wednesday, she described her overseas trip as part of an effort to “demonstrate unity with our NATO Allies and provide support to the people of Ukraine in response to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”
I am en route to Warsaw, Poland and later this week to Bucharest, Romania. This trip comes at an important moment as the United States continues to demonstrate unity with our NATO Allies and provide support to the people of Ukraine in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 9, 2022
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had consequences for Americans at home. President Joe Biden announced a ban on importing Russian oil Tuesday as gas prices have reached a record high, escalating since last year due to his administration's energy policies. While Pence praised the move to ban Russian oil from U.S. soil as “a good first step,” he encouraged the “Biden administration to unleash American energy and answer this crisis with American strength.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
