KYIV – U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) visited Ukraine during the first week of April, meeting with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko and other Ukrainian leaders, as well as think tanks and other opinion leaders, and visited a forward combat outpost near the line of contact in Donetsk to see firsthand evidence of Russian aggression on the eastern border.
Sen. Portman, who received the Order of Merit from President Poroshenko during his visit, has led efforts in the U.S. Senate to provide assistance to Ukraine. This was his third visit to the country as he works to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Ukraine and support Ukrainian efforts to defend itself from Russian aggression.
He issued the following statement on his two-day visit.
“I appreciated the opportunity to visit Ukraine, meet with President Poroshenko and other Ukrainian leaders, and visit Ukrainian troops at a forward combat outpost near the line of contact in Donetsk. As Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine persists, it is important to reaffirm that the United States stands firmly with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in their struggle to defend their independence and territorial integrity. As someone who has worked hard in the Senate to highlight the importance of ongoing events in Ukraine and increase U.S. military, political and economic support to the country, I remain fully committed to strengthening this relationship even further and look forward to working with the Ukrainian government in the future.
“The Ukrainian government has done more in the past four years to fight endemic corruption and unaccountable governance than any other Ukrainian government did in the 25 years since Ukraine regained its independence. However, it is absolutely critical that progress not stall. Ukraine must demonstrate its commitment to long-term structural reform by meeting the reform conditions that will ensure continued Western financial assistance, further Ukraine’s goal of strategic alignment with the United States and NATO, and secure enduring political support from the United States, the European Union, the IMF, and other Western nations and institutions.
“I presented President Poroshenko with a copy of the original legislation establishing the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative that I worked with Sen. [John] McCain to pass back in 2015. The long-overdue but welcome decision by the Trump administration to provide defensive lethal assistance is the culmination of years of hard work by both Ukrainians and Americans, and I hope to see the timely delivery of this assistance very soon. I hope that this gift serves as reminder that all this hard work to strengthen the ties between us is worth it. America stands by its friends, and with the full implementation of this legislation, the United States will finally make good on its promise to Ukraine.”
During his visit to eastern Ukraine, the Ohio senator visited forward Ukrainian military positions near the line of contact and received information from Ukrainian commanders on the current state of play of the four-year-old conflict with Russian-led separatist forces.
In Kyiv, Sen. Portman met with senior Ukrainian officials including President Poroshenko, Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy, Defense Minister Stepan Poltarak, Chief of Defense Gen. Viktor Muzhenko, and civil society activists and business leaders.
During his meetings, Sen. Portman reaffirmed the United States’ strong support for Ukraine, commended the Ukrainian government for its progress on some reforms, and urged the government to press ahead with the implementation of critical structural reforms needed to meet Western aid conditions.
A co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Portman received the Order of Merit from President Poroshenko during his visit to Ukraine. The Order of Merit is given to individuals for outstanding achievements in economics, science, culture, military or political spheres of activity. It was established by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma in 1996. Those who are awarded the Order of Merit have the official title Chevalier of the Order of Merit.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the Order of Merit from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv. America stands with the Ukrainian people in their struggle to secure a democratic, prosperous, and independent future for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” said Portman. “I will continue to do everything I can to help the Ukrainians defend themselves against Russian aggression.”