It was a return to Kyiv for New York Congressman Gregory Meeks.

The Queens Democrat, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, traveled to the Ukrainian capital over the weekend, where he had a chance to reconnect with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

What You Need To Know

  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders joined Rep. Gregory Meeks on this weekend’s trip to Ukraine, which was kept a secret beforehand for security reasons

  • This is Meeks's second trip to Kyiv in a matter of months - he was last there just weeks before the Russian invasion began

  • Meeks praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “real leader” that history will record as an “inspiration to his people”

The two last sat down in January, only weeks before Russia launched its attack on the Eastern European nation.

“He’s more than met my expectations,” Meeks said of Zelenskyy, praising him as a “real leader” that history will record as an “inspiration to his people.”

In an interview with Spectrum News NY1 after he returned stateside, Meeks said he remembered looking into Zelenskyy’s eyes when they met ahead of the invasion. It made him think about a sit down he had with the leader of another embattled nation: Afghanistan.

“I wasn't so sure that [former Afghan President Ashraf] Ghani and Afghanistan had the will to fight,” Meeks said.

“But looking at Zelensky … He says, ‘Look, just give us the weapons that we need. We don't need any American fighters on the ground. We will fight for our sovereignty,’” Meeks recalled.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders joined Meeks on this weekend’s trip, which was kept a secret beforehand for security reasons.

The visit was intended to show the world that America stands with Ukraine.

Meeks said he was pleased to see that Kyiv’s basic infrastructure is still intact – though the bustle he saw on the streets back in January is now a memory.

“Basically, everything was closed. [There are] very few people walking around,” he said.

While Meeks said he felt safe during the visit, the brutalities of the ongoing war were never far from his mind.

“We got there. We said, ‘Thank God, we got there safely.’ And when we got back, we said, ‘Thank God, we got back safely,’” he said.

Meeks said Zelenskyy’s big request at the meeting was straightforward: “More weapons, more weapons, more weapons.”

Last week, President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve another $33 billion in aid for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Congress recently passed legislation championed by Meeks to streamline the movement of equipment to America’s European allies.