Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, is returning to garner more support for Ukraine’s defensive war with Russia. While his previous visits were largely standard fare (apart from his refusal to wear anything other than olive drab), his latest trip has Republicans rightfully crying foul.
Zelensky, who was accompanied by a taxpayer-funded C-17 Globemaster, arrived in Pennsylvania, an election battleground that is hotly contested, on Monday. The event that followed sounded and looked more like a political campaign than a diplomatic one, making onlookers wonder what the true purpose was.
The day began with a visit to an arms factory in Scranton to give positive press to Democrats including Sen. Bob Casey, who is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Republican Dave McCormick. The Ukrainian President then went on to insult JD Vance, Donald Trump, and a reporter.
Zelensky is now touring ammunition factories in Pennsylvania and attacking President Trump and JD Vance in American media outlets.
A foreign leader is essentially campaigning for Harris on American soil. pic.twitter.com/580etLK72l
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 23, 2024
Volodymyr Zelensky said that Donald Trump does not know how to end the war in Ukraine despite his claim that he would be able to do so on his first day of being US President.
The Ukrainian president, in his most scathing criticism of the Republican nominee for the presidency, also called Trump’s running-mate JDVance “dangerous” as well as “too radical”.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Mr Zelensky stated that Mr Vance’s message seemed to be that Ukraine had to make a sacrifice. This was before Mr. Vance flew to America to present his “Victory Plan”, to the White House this week. “But I think that we have protected America from total conflict.”
He said: “Whoever raises the prospect that ending the conflict hinges on cementing the status quo and Ukraine giving up its territory, should be held accountable for possibly starting a world war.”
Although I am more sympathetic to the whole Ukraine issue than many on the right, it is getting old hearing Zelensky claim that we are doing him a huge favor by sending him hundreds of millions of dollars of weapons and aid. Ukrainians are entitled to defend themselves against Russian incursions. However, they do not do so to protect the United States. They do it to protect themselves.
Ironically, the fact that such rhetoric has largely been rendered nonsense by war’s stalemate is what makes it ironic. Vladimir Putin never would have started a wider war with NATO, because he was aware he’d lose. The Russian military has a lot of outdated equipment, is poorly trained, and is poorly led. He invaded Ukraine with Joe Biden, for the same reasons he invaded Ukraine with Barack Obama. He wants to take over territory that he believes is ethnically Russian. The only reason there isn’t a larger plan to dominate the world is that it would be impossible.
Zelensky’s actions and words on Monday were simply absurd. He went to the United States on the orders of the Biden and Harris administrations to denigrate their political rivals in a battleground State.
Zelensky is openly campaigning for Democrats in battleground Pennsylvania today some 50 days out from our Presidential election.
Unreal.
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) September 23, 2024
I am old enough to remember when using taxpayer resources to obtain purely partisan domestic political benefits from Zelenskyy was considered an impeachable offense. https://t.co/MD2aaTQCnk
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) September 23, 2024
Zelensky is pursuing Trump and Vance to get taxpayer-funded assistance. We may never find out what was said behind closed doors, but the appearance is that it has. It is clear that there is a lot of impropriety, and it is not appropriate to use government resources for Zelensky to essentially campaign on behalf of Democrats six weeks before a big election. Understandably, there won’t be an impeachment investigation into this. But in a government not engulfed by corruption, there might be.
Last but not least, is the question of whether or not this will backfire. Zelensky’s tendency for partisanship does nothing but marginalize support for Ukraine. It is stupid and counterproductive to attack half of America while in America. It also gives the impression that Democrats are more interested in helping other countries than their constituents. This was a misguided and corrupt trip at its worst.