Dave Donaldson, special assistant at the White House Faith Office, visited Ukraine over the weekend as well, according to the chair of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lankford spoke the same day that John Ratcliffe, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, reportedly paid an unexpected visit to Moscow. Lankford, who sits on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said while he was not optimistic about reaching a deal between Russia and Ukraine, he saw Ratcliffe’s trip as potentially productive.
“You have to have ongoing conversation. Things don’t get better by not talking. But right now, Russia doesn’t seem to be focused on trying to solve anything. But we’ve got to be able to find out what is the end game for them,” he said.
Both Lankford and Blumenthal addressed Ukraine’s National Prayer Breakfast on Sunday. Lankford, a Baptist minister, blessed the gathering and said, “I have seen the beating heart of liberty and the spark of faith in Ukraine,” according to remarks provided by his office.
Blumenthal’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The senator posted a video on social media from the Ukrainian capital, writing that he had said at the breakfast, “we stand with the people of Ukraine in prayer & faith, but also in action. Their fight for freedom & democracy is our fight too.“
Pence and former special envoy Keith Kellogg also attended the breakfast.
Lankford said he was returning to the U.S. impressed by Ukraine’s growing military prowess — a message he would be bringing home to Washington.
“The Ukrainian military is ahead of every other military in the world, including our own, on how we’re handling the unmanned aerial space, both for counter drone and drone offensive action,” he said. “No one in the world is doing it as effectively and producing the quantity of very cutting-edge weapons systems that they are.”
