After landing in Ukraine, I was first escorted to the Donbas region — a primary focal point of the war, where battle is still being waged. Since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian Federation has illegally seized territory throughout the region, but the Ukrainians are now successfully pushing Russian forces back. While there, I met with Ukrainian troops at a frontline operations center to learn about their success in the Donbas and assure them of U.S. support. They told me no American official had ventured this far east since the beginning of the war. |
McCaul in the Donbas with a private security detail of former U.S. servicemen Next, I traveled to Kyiv, where I met with President Zelensky, who presented me with the Order of Merit for my commitment to Ukraine — especially my work to champion and pass the 2024 supplemental package, which provided a lifeline to Ukraine. If Congress hadn't passed that bill, I believe Russia would be occupying all of Ukraine today — and seeking to expand its aggression into neighboring countries. In the meeting, we discussed the implications of the recent NATO summit, during which President Trump announced that the U.S. will allow Ukraine to produce its own Patriot systems — a critical defense against Russia's large-scale missile and drone attacks. As I saw when I was in Ukraine, these attacks are often targeted not at military assets, but at innocent civilians. I commend President Trump for this bold move. I also met with the speaker of Ukraine's parliament, Stefanchuk Ruslan Oleksiiovych, and minister of foreign affairs, Andrii Sybiha, to discuss Ukraine's innovation and momentum on the battlefield, as well as congressional efforts to enact tough sanctions on Russia. |
McCaul receives the Order of Merit from President Zelensky (photos courtesy of the Presidential Office of Ukraine) |
McCaul meeting with the head of sanctions for President Zelensky's office |
McCaul with Chairman Stefanchuk (photos courtesy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) |
McCaul with Foreign Minister Sybiha (photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine) At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I surveyed Ukrainian-made drones — including offensive drones, transport drones, and counter drone systems — that showcase Ukraine's unparalleled innovation, which is turning the tide of the war. For example, a drone operation that Ukraine conducted in 2025 destroyed more than $14 billion worth of Russian equipment, including ten air defense systems — all without risking a single Ukrainian soldier's life. And it only cost Ukraine about $12 million. The Ukrainians have effectively turned the battlefield into a laboratory for advanced weapons systems, and both of our nations could benefit from increased defense cooperation. Russia relies heavily on Iranian-designed Shahed drones. The same drones the Ukrainians have learned how to fight are now being launched by Iran against U.S. interests in the Middle East. That's why I recently introduced legislation to bolster cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine to ensure our nation is prepared to build, deploy, and counter the drone technology that will define the future of warfare. |
McCaul at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine) I also visited with both American and Ukrainian drone manufacturers — including SkyFall, which manufactures 7,000 drones per day — and spent time at a drone operations center, where I observed drones dropping supplies and planting mines. |
McCaul at Pegasus Arms observing drone activity On my final day in Ukraine, I received a briefing from Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency, and I visited a rehabilitation facility for children who had previously been kidnapped and sent to Russia, indoctrinated against their own country, abused and tortured in camps, or even sent to the front lines to fight on behalf of Russia. Reports indicate that 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted since the start of the war, with some estimates much higher. As I said at a hearing chaired by the late Senator Graham a few months ago, this is evil in its purest form. At the facility, I met with five children and their guardians — as well as doctors and psychiatrists helping the children — to hear their stories and share my support for the children of Ukraine. I also viewed Russian textbooks that are being taught in the occupied territories, which contain propaganda preparing Ukrainian children for a broader war against NATO. |
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