Johnson, House Speaker, Demands That Ukraine Fire Its U.S. Ambassador
Republican House Speaker Calls for Dismissal of Ukrainian Ambassador #
The Republican speaker of the House has called for Ukraine to dismiss its ambassador to Washington, accusing her of interfering in American election affairs. This demand came in a public letter addressed to the Ukrainian President, citing the ambassador’s role in organizing a presidential visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania.
The Ukrainian President toured the factory this week, thanking workers for manufacturing shells sent to his country’s forces. The speaker criticized the visit for taking place in a key battleground state alongside a Democratic governor who supports the current Vice President’s presidential bid. He noted that no Republicans were invited to the event.
In the letter, the speaker described the tour as “clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats” and labeled it as “election interference.” Simultaneously, a Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee announced an investigation into the visit, claiming it was a partisan event funded by taxpayers.
As of Thursday morning, Ukraine had not responded to the speaker’s demands regarding its ambassador.
These complaints are likely to complicate the Ukrainian President’s primary objective during his visit to Washington: to push for increased financial and military aid to Kyiv as part of his “victory plan” to force Russia to the negotiating table. The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to hold several meetings in Congress and is expected to meet with the U.S. President at the White House.
Ukrainian authorities have long attempted to remain neutral in the American presidential campaign, although they have built bridges in both camps to advance their interests. Republicans have been skeptical about providing support to Ukraine, and a potential Republican vice-presidential candidate has been deeply critical of previous U.S. aid packages to Kyiv.
Relations with the Republican camp have deteriorated in recent weeks as the U.S. election campaign has intensified. The former president has increasingly denounced American aid to Ukraine while promoting a plan, for which he has offered no details, to quickly broker a peace deal.
In a recent interview, the Ukrainian President questioned this plan, which many in Kyiv fear would leave Russia in control of vast swathes of Ukrainian territory. He also described a prominent Republican figure as “too radical.”
The former president accused the Ukrainian leader of “refusing” to negotiate a peace deal with the Russian President during a campaign event, criticizing the continued provision of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.