The New York Times reported that US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has decided not to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak at the US House of Representatives during his visit to Capitol Hill on September 21 (local time).
The New York Times said that House Speaker McCarthy will hold a private meeting with Mr. Zelensky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. (Photo: New York Times)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the United States earlier this week and addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, Zelensky called on US officials to maintain support for Kiev.
The Biden administration has previously asked Congress for an additional $24 billion in aid to Ukraine, and Zelensky believes his presence will help get the aid plan approved.
While many members of the US House of Representatives still support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, there is a growing appetite for the Biden administration to limit aid.
“There is no money in the US House of Representatives for Ukraine right now,” Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida told reporters ahead of Mr. Zelensky’s visit.
“Frankly, we have a $2 trillion deficit. Any new aid to Ukraine is money we have to borrow from the future,” Donalds added, saying it was “not a good time” for Zelensky to visit.
House Speaker McCarthy also questioned the level of military aid to Ukraine: “Where is the accountability for the money we spent? What is the plan to win? I think that’s what the American public wants to know.”
Skepticism in the US has been fueled by concerns about corruption in Ukraine. Weeks before his trip to New York, President Zelensky fired former Defense Minister Oleksii Rezniko for failing to tackle corruption in the ministry.
Tra Khanh (Source: russian.rt.com)
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