Obama in the Ukraine

Jet, Sept 12, 2005

OBAMA IN THE UKRAINE: Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko (l) greets U.S. Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN), and Barack Obama (D-IL) during their meeting in Kiev. The senators came to Ukraine to hold talks with government officials and find out how the United States can help this ex-Soviet republic on its path toward further integration with the West.

As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Obama is responsible for the foreign policy activities of the U.S. Senate, including evaluating all treaties with foreign governments, approving all diplomatic nominations and writing legislation pertaining to U.S. foreign policy. Lugar chairs the committee. En route, the senators were detained for three hours in Russia's Ural Mountains city of Perm, but they were eventually allowed to take-off for Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry said that the delay arose because of questions over whether the international flight en route to Kiev had undergone the necessary security procedures.