Romney commends Ukraine visit, criticizes Afghanistan exit and urges continued support

Senator Mitt Romney opened the hearing by thanking the secretary for his recent visit to Kyiv and saying it clarified U.S. commitment to Ukraine's leadership and people.

"I appreciate in particular your visit to Kyiv, making clear to the people of the world our commitment to the people of Ukraine and to its leadership," Romney said, while also noting the U.S. had made serious mistakes in exiting Afghanistan.

Romney called the Afghanistan withdrawal "disastrous," citing ongoing diplomatic and military crises and "stories of hundreds of people who worked with us in Afghanistan being murdered by the Taliban" and girls being denied schooling. At the same time, he credited the administration for providing intelligence to allies, coordinating sanctions and supplying military support to Ukraine.

Romney also emphasized that the U.S. mission in Ukraine is to help Ukrainians "have freedom and sovereignty" and cautioned against framing the effort chiefly as diminishing Russian military capacity.

The hearing included no formal vote or policy decision on U.S. assistance to Ukraine; the exchange amounted to legislative oversight and public statements of support and concern.