WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), a senior member of the House Subcommittee on National Security, is part of a congressional delegation mission this week that includes stops in Ukraine and Israel. The delegation is led by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During this mission, the three will meet with Israeli and Palestinian and Ukrainian political leadership and military leaders, and U.S. service members among others.

The purpose of the delegation is to conduct official discussions with high-ranking government leaders regarding political, economic, and security issues affecting bilateral and regional relationships in Israel and Ukraine. As a co-chair of the House Task Force on Terrorism and Proliferation Financing, Congressman Lynch will also assess the progress of ongoing international efforts to recover billions of dollars in missing Ukrainian funds that were misappropriated by former Ukrainian government officials.

The visit to Israel includes meetings with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as well as visits with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah in the West Bank. The visit comes during negotiations for a possible peace deal between Israel and Palestine and will also focus on regional security issues. The visit to Ukraine includes talks with government officials and democratic opposition leaders in Kiev and comes in light of Russia’s recent invasion and annexation of Crimea.