Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s impassioned speech to Congress on Wednesday morning left most of the lawmakers in the room in awe of his bravery, with some nearly crying, but the two Republican thugs appeared to be barely affected.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) was seen checking her phone as her colleagues gave Zelensky a standing ovation before his remarks.
Meanwhile, according to the New York Times, Rep. Madison Cawthorne (RN.C.) skipped that part altogether, as she did most of the Ukrainian president’s speech.
Although, after the brief part he attended, the freshman legislator declared that “emotions should not guide foreign policy” despite most of his factions calling for more weapons and aid to be sent to Kyiv.
Hours after the speech, President Joe Biden delivered his strongest condemnation of Vladimir Putin, calling the autocrat a “war criminal.”
Green and Cawthorne, who both took office in 2021, were among a minority of Republican lawmakers calling for less U.S. involvement in Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion.
“Emotions should never guide our foreign policy. The United States must be extremely careful to pursue a logical, rational foreign policy that tactfully strengthens the Ukrainian people while putting America first,” Cawthorne told the Times after Zelensky’s speech.
Earlier this month, a North Carolina congressman was caught on video calling Zelenskiy disparagingly a “thug” and calling his democratically elected government “corrupt” and “evil.”
Nearly every MP in Congress stood up to applaud Ukrainian President Zelensky as he appeared via video link on Wednesday morning. Green (right, in brown dress) holds her hands still as her colleagues applaud.
At one point, she leaned over to check her phone, clearly uninterested in joining in the praise of her fellow lawmakers.
However, Green appears to have been present for the entire speech.
Shortly before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R-California) gave a brief introduction to Ukraine’s leader, he appeared via video link and was met with rapturous applause from nearly the entire room.
The outspoken Republican from Georgia stood with other lawmakers, but instead of applauding, she reached for the phone.
On Tuesday evening, Green took to Twitter accusing the US and NATO of funding “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine.
Its grievances center around a nationalist paramilitary group based in Ukraine called the Azov Battalion.
The fringe group, which does not have broad influence in Ukraine’s multiethnic society led by a Jewish president, is fueling Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s claims that he is attacking the country to rid it of “Nazi” rule.
Rep. Madison Cawthorne, who previously called Zelensky a “thug,” entered the hall only towards the end of her speech.
Azov was incorporated into Ukraine’s National Guard in 2014 when the then underfunded and undertrained military nations turned to militia groups for help in fighting off Russia-backed separatists in eastern Donbas.
“Democrats have been calling Republicans, President Trump and his supporters Nazis since 2015. But Democrats have been funding *real* Nazis since the Obama/Biden administration. Funding for neo-Nazis in Ukraine only ended under President Trump,” Green wrote on Tuesday evening.
She pointed out that the United States and Ukraine voted against a resolution criticizing the glorification of Nazism at the UN. US diplomats explained that they voted against the resolution, fearing that it would curtail freedom of speech, which is protected by the Constitution.
Green also mentioned a $1.5 trillion public funding bill that President Joe Biden signed into law on Tuesday.
She incorrectly stated that the package, which included nearly $14 billion in humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine, contained only cash for “lethal” aid.
“Last week Congress voted to give Ukraine $13.6 billion in lethal aid. How much American taxpayer money will end up in the hands of neo-Nazis in Ukraine?” Green asked.
Her latest explosive tweet was that NATO was directly supplying “neo-Nazis in Ukraine” with weapons and training them.
“And to top it all off, NATO is supplying neo-Nazis in Ukraine with powerful weapons and training on how to use them. What the hell is going on with these #NATONazis?”
She added a link to the Belarusian media NEXTA, which shared photos of Ukrainian fighters training with grenade launchers. At least one person in the picture had an Azov Battalion patch on his shoulder.
“A batch of grenade launchers and NLAW instructors from #NATO countries arrived in Kharkiv. The Azov Regiment was the first to learn about the new weapons.
The right-wing think tank Atlantic Council once accused NEXTA of “accidentally spreading[ing] disinformation that at first glance seemed to be reliable, but turned out to be inaccurate.”
Zelenskiy’s Wednesday morning speech was praised by lawmakers, who praised him for Ukraine’s impressive resistance against the much larger and better-equipped Russian army.
He cited infamous American tragedies such as Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks to show the extent of the devastation his country is facing as Putin’s invasion enters its third week.
“Our country experiences the same thing every day,” Zelensky said.
Zelenskiy passionately called for more US help during his emotional speech, citing comparisons to Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and Martin Luther King Jr. “Right now, at this moment, every night for three weeks in different Ukrainian cities, Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people. Russian troops fired 1,000 rockets into Ukraine. They use drones to kill us with precision,” he said.
“Right now, at this moment, every night for three weeks in different cities of Ukraine, Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people. Russian troops fired 1,000 rockets into Ukraine. They use drones to kill us with precision.”
The wartime president also referred to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech to reiterate his request for a no-fly zone over Ukraine – something that U.S. and NATO officials have repeatedly ruled out for fear of a direct confrontation with Russia. escalation into World War III.
“If it’s too much, we offer an alternative,” he said of the no-fly zone.
“You know what defense systems we need. You know how much depends on the ability to use aviation to protect our people, our freedom. planes that can help Ukraine, help Europe.”
He continued, “I have a dream. I have a need. I need to protect our sky. I need your help, which means the same thing you feel when you hear the words “I have a dream.”
Zelenskiy ended with a direct appeal to Biden and the traditional role of the US as the leader of the free world.
On Tuesday evening, Greene launched into a tirade on Twitter accusing the US and NATO of funding Nazis in Ukraine, clearly referring to the fringe nationalist group Azov Battalion. The neo-Nazi group has fought Russia alongside the Ukrainian defense forces, but does not have broad influence over its government.
“After all, to be the leader of the world is to be the leader of the world. Peace in your country depends not only on you and your people. It depends on those who are close to you, on those who are strong,” he concluded.
Combat veteran and Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) admitted she was emotional about the speech, adding, “I feel like putting on a uniform and going to the rescue.”
Pelosi said on the House floor after remarks, “In the face of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion, the president’s fearless, heroic leadership has rallied his nation and inspired the world.” And our MPs were very touched by his strong statements today, as well as the heartbreaking footage he shared, demonstrating Putin’s inhuman terror, brutally committing war crimes against children.”
Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) urged the Biden administration to increase aid to Ukraine.
“President Zelensky has challenged our nation that if you want to be the leader of the world, you must be the leader of the world. But you can’t make peace if you’re leading from behind – we need President Biden and Europe to step up and lead,” he said at a press conference after his speech.
His counterpart, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), said Zelenskiy’s address was “a powerful and touching reminder that the United States must continue to take action to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s unprovoked attack, to help refugees fleeing Ukraine to support our NATO.” allies and make Vladimir Putin pay for his aggression.”