| February 12, 2020 04:53 PM
T hree senators are planning to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a week after President Trump was acquitted in the Senate of accusations that he unethically pressured Zelensky into political investigations.
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a Democrat, and Republican Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin will meet with Zelensky during a trip to Ukraine on Friday, according to Politico.
The lawmakers said in a statement that it is critical for the United States to maintain close ties with Kyiv and that the meeting would help bolster the bilateral relationship.
“The U.S.-Ukraine relationship is as important now as ever. The future of Ukraine matters to the United States, and we must make sure Ukraine knows that we view them as a strategic ally,” the senators said. “This is why we’re going to Kyiv as a bipartisan delegation to reinforce our support with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.”
Zelensky, a former television comedian, assumed office last May after defeating incumbent President Petro Poroshenko by running on an anti-corruption platform.
Last week, the Senate voted 52-48 to acquit the president on a charge of abuse of power and 53-47 to acquit the president on a charge of obstruction of Congress. Democrats in the House alleged that Trump wrongly pressured Zelensky to investigate his political rival Joe Biden.