US House Speaker Mike Johnson has called on Ukraine to fire its ambassador to Washington, amid escalating tensions between Republicans and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Johnson’s intervention came after President Zelensky visited a weapons factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania — President Joe Biden’s hometown in a key swing state — along with several senior Democrats.
In a public letter, the top Republican said the visit was “designed to help Democrats” and claimed it amounted to “election interference”.
The controversy threatens to overshadow Zelensky’s meeting with President Joe Biden on Thursday, where he will present a “plan for victory” in his country’s fight with Russia.
Since arriving in the United States on Sunday, Zelensky has stepped up efforts to persuade the United States and other allies to provide more support to Ukraine in its efforts to counter Russia’s advances.
On Thursday, Biden announced that the US would send $7.9bn (£5.9bn) in military aid to Ukraine in a major aid tranche as his presidency draws to a close.
The aid is part of a $61 billion package passed by Congress in April that includes additional Patriot air defense missiles and long-range munitions.
The weapons package would be approved through the president’s troop withdrawal authority and would draw from the Pentagon’s existing supply to deliver the weapons more quickly.
Republicans in Congress blocked the Biden administration’s $61 billion military package for months earlier this year, before finally relenting and passing the bill in April. Prior to that, arms supplies to Ukraine had been running low for months.
The United States is the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, with $56 billion provided for the country’s defense so far.
In a statement ahead of his White House visit, Zelensky outlined three elements of his victory plan: continued arms funding, diplomatic efforts to force Russia to agree to peace, and holding Moscow accountable for a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Zelensky had planned to present his proposal to two presidential candidates: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
However, a Donald Trump campaign official said the Republican candidate will not meet with the Ukrainian leader during his trip to the United States this week.
Trump and Zelensky have long had a tense relationship. In 2019, Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives over allegations that he pressured the Ukrainian leader to dig up damaging information about a political rival.
He has often echoed Russia’s views on the war. At a campaign event on Wednesday, he derided Zelensky as “the greatest salesman on Earth” and accused the Ukrainian leader of refusing to “make a deal” with Moscow.
At a rally earlier on Tuesday, Trump also praised Russia’s military prowess, saying: “They defeated Hitler, they defeated Napoleon – that’s what they do, they fight.”
The former president’s comments come amid growing tensions between Zelensky and Republicans over his visit to an ammunition factory in Biden’s hometown of Scranton in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania.
During the visit, Zelensky appeared alongside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and several other top Democrats. House Speaker Johnson accused the president of participating in a “partisan campaign event” designed to bolster Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Meanwhile, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has announced it will investigate whether Zelensky’s trip was an attempt to leverage a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Republicans in Congress blocked the Biden administration’s $61 billion military spending package for months earlier this year, before finally relenting and passing the legislation in April.
Previously, arms supplies to Ukraine had been running out for months.
The United States is the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, with $56 billion provided for the country’s defense so far.
