More than 2 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the destruction following Russia’s invasion, a U.N. refugee tracker agency reported.
As they have fled to the neighboring eastern European countries of Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and others, countless charities have been working to aid these refugees.
Samaritan’s Purse has a team at the border of Ukraine and Poland. Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen visited their site to meet the many refugees coming across the border, as Franklin Graham posted on Facebook.
Graham, the head of Samaritan’s Purse, thanked the Pences for visiting Ukraine to speak face to face with refugees.
“One Ukrainian told him what an encouragement their visit was to the people and the former Vice President responded, ‘No, you are the ones who inspire and encourage us.’ He assured them of our continued prayers and support,” Graham wrote in his post.
Pence also tweeted about his trip to Ukraine, encouraging people to stand with Ukrainians as they suffer in this war.
The impact of the Russian invasion on these families is heartbreaking and the need for support is great. We encourage everyone to pray and contribute to @SamaritansPurse and other relief organizations today. Let’s stand together as one with the people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/vWFtiQHMVg
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 10, 2022
Graham also mentioned in his post that Samaritan’s Purse has opened a clinic and hopes to open a field hospital in the Lviv area. Lviv has become a de facto safe haven city for many Ukrainians, since it is only one hour away from the Polish border, NPR reported.
“We have been able to open our clinic at the train station in Lviv and plan to have the field hospital open this weekend. We are sending a 747 cargo planeload of supplies today. My son Edward Graham is also on the ground there with our team,” Graham wrote in his post. “Pray for the people of Ukraine and pray for peace.”
Meanwhile, Pence has been outspoken in his condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
There will be time to assess steps America took in advance of Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. But make no mistake, the blame for the evil unfolding across Ukraine today lies in one place & one place only: inside the Kremlin and on the shoulders of Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/UhNtDUsQ7k
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 9, 2022
In his stand against Russia, Pence has also been critical of the Biden administration for its response to the war.
Pence’s advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, launched a $10 million ad campaign criticizing the administration on America’s energy policy and the Russia-Ukraine war, CNN reported.
The ad opens with clips of Russian attacks in Ukraine. Then a voiceover critiques Biden for revoking the permit for the Keystone pipeline, which led to an increase in American dependence on Russian oil.
Biden’s energy policy decisions are “endangering America’s security and helping Russia fund their invasion,” the ad says, CNN reported.
Pence has continued to speak out against Putin, strongly encouraging Republicans to stand against him and his aggression toward Ukraine.
At a recent Republican National Committee retreat in New Orleans, Pence said, “There is no room in this party for apologists for Putin. There is only room for champions of freedom.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.