Congressman Jason Crow shakes hands with President Zelenskyy. Crow was part of a congressional delegation that recently traveled to Kyiv. Photo courtesy of Rep. Jason Crow’s office

Colorado Congressman Jason Crow (D) recently returned from Kyiv where he and a congressional delegation spent nearly four hours meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top advisors.

The delegation had three goals: to address the humanitarian crisis facing the Ukrainian people, to figure out how the U.S. can better support Ukraine through sanctions and other economic pressures and to better understand the future of U.S. military support and weapons aid.

Crow said Zelenskyy was clear that he can not face the Russian onslaught without support from the U.S. and NATO.

Zelenskyy said the battle is changing; it’s moving from an urban fight to a longer-range battle that will require different support. He specifically asked for longer-range drones, artillery supplies, long-range rocket systems and anti-ship missiles.

Crow said, “Vladimir Putin’s not going to stop.  He’s getting more desperate and more brutal. We heard accounts of the systematic and large-scale rape of Ukraininan women and girls, of carpet bombings, missile attacks on maternity wards and now the weaponization of food and hunger. The only way to stop these war crimes is to stop [Putin] on the field of battle.” Crow added, “The U.S. is going to stand shoulder to shoulder [with Ukraine]. We are in this for the long haul.”

Crow’s unwavering support comes at a time when other politicians are questioning U.S.’s spendy involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. Colorado Representatives Lauren Boebert and Ken Buck, both republicans, voted against a bill that ultimately passed both the house and the senate giving Ukraine $40 billion in aid. Boebert tweeted, “Gas just hit $4.37, and people can’t get baby formula…but [the president] would rather focus on a bill that includes $40 billion in aid to Ukraine.”