Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, on Friday invoked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's own speech he recently made to argue against the United States providing more aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
As the Russia-Ukraine war nears its two-year anniversary next month, Zelensky on Tuesday made an address before the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he called for renewed peace talks and the imposition of more and harsher economic sanctions against Moscow.
"We need you in Ukraine to build, to reconstruct, to restore our lives," the Ukrainian president said. "Each of you can be even more successful with Ukraine."
According to a Tuesday report from The New York Times, Zelensky made no mention in the speech of Ukraine needing "more weapons" in the form of continued military aid. President Joe Biden has in recent weeks urged Congress to pass his $60 billion proposed aid request for Ukraine, amid reported concerns that former President Donald Trump could drastically slash aid provisions to the war-torn nation if reelected in November. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, in response, has tied the possibility of passing the aid package to the passage of a new immigration and U.S.-Mexico border security deal.
The total amount of American military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war started in February 2022 is over $79 billion, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute that tracks international support for Kyiv.
In a Friday evening post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Greene, noted for her loyalty to Trump and her opposition to Ukraine aid, cited the Times' headline, "Zelensky Calls for Peace, Not More Weapons, in Davos" in a renewed call to end the provision of military aid.
"Zelensky is asking for peace talks in Switzerland and the warmongers in Washington are desperately trying to fund $60 billion to keep the war in Ukraine going," the congresswoman wrote. "This is sick. This is America's war and they are proving it. NO MORE MONEY TO UKRAINE! Let them make peace!!"
Newsweek reached out to Ukrainian officials via email for comment.
While Zelensky's speech did not mention continued military aid from allied nations, he has over the months since Russia's invasion, stressed the importance of such aid.
While GOP critics like Greene have claimed that U.S. aid to Ukraine has only worked to prolong the conflict unnecessarily, supporters have hit back, arguing that a lack of new aid from Western allies would see Ukraine lose the conflict to Russia, and accusing the critics of working towards Russian President Vladimir Putin's own goals.
Elsewhere in Zelensky's speech, the leader promoted Ukraine's own peace proposal, dubbed the "Peace Formula," which has garnered increased support from various nations. Among other points, the plan primarily calls for Russia's immediate withdrawal from all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which was was annexed in 2014, as well as the payment of reparations and the prosecution of war crimes. Russia, however, has refused to accept the terms of the proposal.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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