One of the first two US lawmakers to tour the devastation in Ukraine said the horror he witnessed this week was “indisputable evidence of Putin’s war crimes.”
US Sen. Steve Daines of Montana and Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz, who was born in Ukraine, traveled from Kyiv to Bucha, where hundreds of civilians were discovered in mass graves strewn across city streets, The Hill reported.
Daines released a statement describing the grisly scene and called for more weapons to be sent to the country, according to the outlet.
“There is indisputable evidence of Putin’s war crimes everywhere—the images of shallow mass graves filled with civilians, women and children are heart wrenching.
“America and the world need to know about Putin’s atrocities against the innocent people of Ukraine now, not after time has passed and the aftermath of evil and bloodshed have been cleaned up. The sooner we can provide Ukraine with the lethal aid they need to win this war, the sooner we will end the war crimes,” he reportedly wrote.
Spartz said the visit was “important to show our support, to show we care,” according to The New York Times.
The GOP members were invited by the Ukrainian government and arrived in the capital city via train from western Ukraine on one day’s notice, the newspaper said.
Daines was already in Eastern Europe and Spartz had planned an unofficial visit to her homeland, according to the article.
The pair were reportedly escorted by cops through scenes of rubble and saw officials digging up a mass grave in Bucha, where untold citizens were bound and executed by Russian troops.
“We’ve been driving for miles and miles and miles, seeing death and destruction caused by Vladimir Putin in this evil invasion,” Daines said.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had made high profile visits to neighboring Poland in recent weeks, but Daines and Spartz were the first American officials to cross the border, the Times reported.
The lawmakers said they were urging the US to follow the lead of some European countries and send diplomats back to Kyiv now that the city was no longer under direct threat.
