Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited Republican Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, to visit Kyiv amid rising protests among US conservatives against aid to Ukraine.
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“Mr. McCarthy has to come here to see how we work, what’s going on, what the war has done, what people are fighting now and who they are fighting. And only after that do you decide,” added Zelensky.
He spoke during an interview with CNN, which will air Wednesday night, according to clips broadcast on the television.
At the head of the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy is the third most important figure in American politics after the President and Vice President.
“I think Speaker McCarthy has never visited Kiev or Ukraine and I think that might help him,” added the Ukrainian president.
But the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, which was painstakingly elected in January, told CNN he didn’t need to go to Ukraine to understand the situation.
In his position, he can prevent President Joe Biden’s massive aid program for Ukraine in the fight against Russia.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, the United States has provided nearly $100 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian assistance.
Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who succeeded Mr McCarthy in that post, traveled to Kyiv in May 2022 to show her support for Ukraine.
McCarthy, while not opposed to US support for Ukraine, has repeatedly said Congress should not sign “blank checks” without careful consideration.
However, a sizeable minority of Republicans in Congress have opposed military and financial aid to Ukraine.
“My position has always been that I will not sign a blank check. From there I don’t have to travel to Ukraine to find out if it’s a blank check or not,” McCarthy assured CNN.