Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border on Thursday as Russia’s assault on its younger neighbor reaches its third week. Refugees fleeing Ukraine passed the Pences, which spent about 20 minutes on Ukrainian soil near the Korczowa border crossing in southeastern Poland.
He said the Russian army had unleashed “indescribable violence against the people of Ukraine.”
“Karen and I just wanted to be here to see firsthand what was going on and to urge all of our fellow Americans to do their part, to pray sincerely for peace,” Pence told a CBS News camera. .
The Pence spoke to several Ukrainian refugees, including a woman with a small child who had fled her home due to Russian airstrikes.
“I want you to know that he used to be the vice president,” Pence said. “I no longer speak on behalf of our government, but I can tell you that the American people are with you.”
The United Nations estimates that more than 2 million Ukrainians have left the country since the war began.
“Karen and I have just talked to several families who have left their homes, in many ways leaving their family members behind to fight the war as they come here looking for safety for themselves and their children.” said Pence. He also tweeted some photos of the trip.
.@KarenPence and today I visited the Ukrainian border with @ EdwardG1911 i @SamaritansPurse meet with Ukrainian women and children seeking refuge from war. 2.4 million refugees have already fled Ukraine and nearly 400,000 have already crossed the Korczowa border crossing. pic.twitter.com/tFZcC4X7mA
– Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 10, 2022
Pence, who is considering a presidential candidacy in 2024, visited the border as part of a delegation from Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian aid organization. He praised its leader Edward Graham for “answering in the name of Jesus.” Graham, who sided with the Pence as they spoke, is the son of evangelical pastor Franklin Graham.
Karen Pence said it was “heartbreaking” to hear moms tell them they had to leave home in the middle of the night.
The former vice president visited Poland on the same day that Vice President Kamala Harris met with Polish President Andrezj Duda in Warsaw.
“You have a strong heart,” Pence told a woman with a patch of Ukrainian flag on her camouflage parka. “Proud of you.”
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