UUkraine

Speaker Johnson demands Zelenskyy remove Ukraine’s ambassador to US after Pennsylvania visit

  • September 30, 2024



Speaker Johnson demands Zelenskyy remove Ukraine’s ambassador to US after Pennsylvania visit

(25 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

POOL
Washington, DC – 25 September 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Johnson, House Speaker:
“I wasn’t able to schedule a meeting with Zelenskyy this week because I had a very busy one, as you all might have noticed. And I don’t even think I’ll be in town now tomorrow, so but look what I would have communicated to them if we sat down. We would have talked about this letter about the ambassador. I think it was a very terrible development. And it strains the relations between the two nations at a time that that’s very unfortunate for Ukraine. So I regret that.
(Reporter: Is that a threat to stop funding?)
No, I’m not making any threats. I mean, I’ll leave my comments to the content of the letter which I know you’ve all seen, but I do think it requires immediate attention and action. And I think you should terminate the ambassador and move forward with somebody who understands the appropriate lines for our allies to regard. We’re in the middle of a hotly contested national election and we don’t need foreign countries intervening and letting their opinions be heard at a time like this. I’ve expressed the same to our allies around the world. All that I’ve talked to. Americans should decide American elections without foreign interference. That’s a really important principle.”
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
House Speaker Mike Johnson is calling on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to fire his country’s ambassador to the U.S. as Republicans criticize the war-torn leader’s visit to a swing-state Pennsylvania site producing munitions for the Russia-Ukraine war as a political stunt.

The Republican Johnson’s demand Wednesday came as Zelenskyy addressed the United Nations in New York on the eve of his visit to Washington, D.C., where he has plans Thursday to brief senators on Capitol Hill about the war effort before meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House.

“The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference,” Johnson wrote in a letter to Zelenskyy.

Johnson said no Republicans were invited to the plant tour arranged by Ambassador Oksana Markarova to Scranton, Pennsylvania, which is Biden’s hometown.

Johnson called the visit an “intentionally political move” and said it “has caused Republicans to lose trust in Ambassador Markarova’s ability to fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat in this country. She should be removed from her post immediately.”

The speaker’s stern demand for the swift removal of Markarova, a well-received diplomat in Washington who has been a fixture on Capitol Hill since the outset of the war — even sitting as a guest in the House visitor’s gallery during pivotal speeches — comes at a daunting time for Ukraine as Zelenskyy works to ensure U.S. support for the war effort in an election year.

While Biden and Democrats in Congress have largely stood with Ukraine since the outset of the Russian invasion in 2022, sending billions in U.S. aid to buy weaponry and support services, Republicans have split deeply. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has turned the GOP toward a new America First movement that generally prefers to limit U.S. involvement overseas, and he often speaks admirably of Russia and its president, Vladmir Putin.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/

You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/5e77deac1f944261b8ba8d7f67b50d33

40 comments

  6. Despite irritation of Zelenskyys visit to Pennsylvania arms production, the Republicans really needs to start seriously thinking about how not to repeat the devastating mistakes of the Republicans in 1930s when they rejected Churchill and ended up in a extended costly World War that could have been prevented if actions had been made in due time.

    Ukraine and most of Europe are loyal allies of the US.

    Russia, China & Iran have made not secret about their intent to take down the US.

    US is faced with the choice of backing its allies or helping their enemies hoping that their enemies will be so filled with gratitude that they’ll skip their ambitions to take the US.

    It’s a huge gamble for the US to break up its alliances to please its mortal enemies.

  7. This really does show that the American people are waking up to Trump and his self centred rhetoric. People are leaving his rallies and the one man party, now the Speaker is showing his political views and running scared.

  10. How is it election interference? He met Trump. As well. As to not interfere. Not Zelenskyy fault if the ammunition plant that supplies ammo is located in a democrat run city.

  14. I'm surprised. An American opposes foreign countries influencing in elections. How refreshing. Especially when it has to do with Ukraine. Remember how Victoria Nuland boasted how much money was used to have an pro-American president elected in Ukraine? In 2004 it failed the first time, so after some payed street violence the election had to be done over again. In 2010, – two years after NATO membership had been promised, – Yanukovych won again with an anti NATO agenda. After more payed violence he agreed on early elections in 2014. He was far ahead in the polls, so he had to be chased out of the country. After that only pro NATO candidates were allowed in presidential elections.

  16. Ukraine is one of the most corrupted countries in the world. Big chunk of the HUGE aid to Ukraine must have been returning to the US, enriching politicians in the right place, and flowing into politics in favor of Ukraine.

  21. I DEMAND""" DUMP WHO IS NOT!!! A MEMBER OF CONGRESS, OR SENATE, HE'S NOT A GOVERNOR NO LONGER PRESIDENT HE'S A DISGRACED EX""""" PRESIDENT I DEMAND HIM TO STOP TALKING TO WORLD LEADERS ESPECIALLY HIS DICTATOR" BUDDIES HIS FASCIST" BFFS….

  28. After holding up aid for Ukraine for nearly a year, and grandstanding about the border only to let the border bill die on the House Floor, I don’t think Johnson is in any position to complain.

  29. Aircraft carriers are obsolete in modern warfare because of hypersonic missiles. That's why the US Navy doesn't dare send aircraft carriers to destroy Yemen like they did in the Iraq war. Because if an aircraft carrier sinks, the dollar becomes worthless paper. The US is bankrupt long ago. They have huge debts that they can't pay back to their creditors. But they have a great army to back the value of the dollar.

  38. I don't know what happened to the Republican party but it's turned into the Hitler youth group? What happened to people like Reagan, who had honor and respect?!

Leave a Reply