Country star Brad Paisley joined Democratic senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia on a bipartisan trip to Ukraine, this week. At a news conference held in Kyiv’s Mikhailovsky Square, Paisley performed an acoustic rendition of his Ukraine-inspired song “Same Here” and also sang a traditional Ukrainian folk song in the native language, while standing in front of destroyed Russian military equipment.
Sens. Manchin, Murkowski & Kelly — as well as Brad Paisley — traveled to Ukraine and met with President Zelensky.
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) April 12, 2023
Pic via Manchin’s office: pic.twitter.com/OF7DGcsAsC
During the first-ever in-person meeting between them, Paisley was captured in photos alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had previously appeared as a guest on Paisley’s “Same Here” recording, providing spoken-word in the song. The singer has been an advocate for Ukraine’s United24 fundraising drive, serving as an ambassador.
During the trip, Paisley also met and performed for the United States soldiers stationed in Poland.
“It’s an emotional experience seeing all of this firsthand. For me looking around this city and being here for the first time, I’m absolutely struck by the resilience of life and the beautiful nature of the way this city is trying to thrive in the middle of conflict. And also trying to be as free as they can be in this hard time. I think as an American, it is one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever seen, and I’m absolutely honored to be here,” Paisley said during a press conference.
Watch Paisley’s performance at St. Michael’s Square in Kyiv, Ukraine below:
