Former Vice President Mike Pence visited the Ukraine border and met with refugees flooding into Poland amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, as Vice President Harris is also in Poland touting U.S. support for its NATO allies.
Pence, who was accompanied by his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, traveled with the evangelical Christian humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse and the group’s vice president of operations, Edward Graham, the son of the group’s president and evangelical pastor Franklin Graham.
In a tweet, Pence called the impact of Russia’s invasion “heartbreaking” for refugee families, and encouraged people to donate to Samaritan’s Purse and other relief organizations.
“Let’s stand together as one with the people of Ukraine,” Pence said.
The former vice president, who is said to be considering a 2024 White House bid, has been forcefully condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last week, he made headlines when he told a group of Republican National Committee donors that there was no room in the GOP for “apologists for Putin,” comments that came after former President Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin “savvy” and a “genius” after Moscow’s incursion.
Earlier this week, Pence’s group Advancing American Freedom launched a $10 million ad buy urging incumbent Democrats to support American energy production rather than relying on Russian oil.
On Thursday, Harris voiced support for a war crimes investigation into Russia and announced that two Patriot missile-defense systems that the U.S. had promised to send to Poland had been delivered. Additionally, the vice president said that the U.S. would contribute $50 million through the United Nations food program to assist with humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Harris also met with people displaced from Ukraine in Warsaw.
—Updated at 2:29 p.m.