Senator JD Vance of Ohio and running mate of former US President Donald Trump, criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday during a campaign event in Newtown, Pennsylvania, just a day after Trump met with Zelenskyy.
Vance took issue with Zelenskyy's visit to an ammunition factory in Scranton alongside Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat.
In his speech, Vance said, "He came to campaign with the Democratic leadership of this country. We spent $200 billion on Ukraine. You know what I wish Zelenskyy would do when he comes to the United States of America? Say thank you to the people of Pennsylvania and everybody else."
However, during his visit to the Scranton plant, Zelenskyy did express gratitude to the United States for its support and thanked the workers for manufacturing artillery shells to aid Ukraine. He told the 400 workers, "it is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail."
The visit to the munitions factory had drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers, who accused the trip's organizers of engaging in partisan campaigning ahead of the election. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, even called for Ukraine to fire its ambassador to Washington over the incident.
Vance, a vocal opponent of US aid to Ukraine, was recently called "too radical" by Zelenskyy in an interview with The New Yorker for suggesting that Ukraine should give up territory in exchange for a peace deal with Russia. In response, Vance hit back from the campaign trail in Michigan on Wednesday, saying, "I don't appreciate Zelenskyy coming to this country and telling the American taxpayer what they ought to do."
Vance took issue with Zelenskyy's visit to an ammunition factory in Scranton alongside Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat.
In his speech, Vance said, "He came to campaign with the Democratic leadership of this country. We spent $200 billion on Ukraine. You know what I wish Zelenskyy would do when he comes to the United States of America? Say thank you to the people of Pennsylvania and everybody else."
However, during his visit to the Scranton plant, Zelenskyy did express gratitude to the United States for its support and thanked the workers for manufacturing artillery shells to aid Ukraine. He told the 400 workers, "it is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail."
The visit to the munitions factory had drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers, who accused the trip's organizers of engaging in partisan campaigning ahead of the election. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, even called for Ukraine to fire its ambassador to Washington over the incident.
Vance, a vocal opponent of US aid to Ukraine, was recently called "too radical" by Zelenskyy in an interview with The New Yorker for suggesting that Ukraine should give up territory in exchange for a peace deal with Russia. In response, Vance hit back from the campaign trail in Michigan on Wednesday, saying, "I don't appreciate Zelenskyy coming to this country and telling the American taxpayer what they ought to do."
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