Volodymyr Zelenskyy hasn’t lost Republicans — but he’s on notice.
Even some Republican supporters of Ukraine on Capitol Hill said that the Ukrainian President had made a strategic error when he visited a weapons plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, over the weekend and separately waded into the presidential race by calling JD Vance “too radical” in a recently published interview.
The visit to the plant drew rebukes from Speaker Mike Johnson, who condemned it as a partisan campaign event in solidarity with Democrats, while Zelenskyy’s comment on Vance further complicates his swing through the U.S. as he seeks to shore up support in the war against Russia.
Republicans are a key constituency for Zelenskyy to satisfy as the escalated conflict with Russia drags on into its second year with no end in sight. But the Pennsylvania visit — and provoking of Vance — may be a stumble for the Ukrainian president, who is already dealing with former President Donald Trump criticizing him for not making concessions to Russia.
And with the election less than two months away, Trump’s allies on the Hill and beyond are sensitive to any perceived slights against the former president, including the Ukrainian leader appearing at an event in a key battleground state with Democrats.
“I just think it’s a mistake for any foreign leader to get involved in our domestic politics, and Ukraine needs all the friends it can get — so I think it was an unforced error,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in a brief interview. “I think he needs not to make that mistake again. We have geopolitical reasons to continue to support Ukraine, so I don’t think that’s going to change over one incident.”
But despite Republicans’ frustrations, most are not willing to abandon their support for the key ally over the episodes. Pressed on whether Republicans might reevaluate their support for Ukraine based on Zelenskyy’s recent moves, Cornyn shook his head: “Not on my part, and I think people who support Ukraine support Ukraine, not because of the personalities involved, but because of what it means to further Russian expansion in Europe.”
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a supporter of Ukraine aid, said Zelenskyy’s visit to Pennsylvania “was not helpful,” though he said it wasn’t discussed “very much” in lawmakers’ meeting with him Thursday.
“It’s never smart in any situation where you’re dealing with another country to get involved in this internal politics,” Cole said. “My advice to anybody would be to stay out of American politics. Don’t become an issue, particularly in a partisan election this close and in the final weeks leading up to it where, even if you’re absolutely innocent, anything you do can be taken out of context.”
Zelenskyy’s trip to the weapons plant, where Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Josh Shapiro also appeared, has sparked House Republican investigations from some of Trump’s allies on the Hill, including Rep. Andy Biggs, and demands from Johnson that Zelenskyy fire his ambassador to the U.S. But those GOP lawmakers supportive of Ukraine’s fight against Russia — a hefty bloc of elected Republicans staunchly opposed more aid to the country previously — left Thursday meetings with the leader vowing to stay the course.
During a press conference in New York on Thursday, Trump said he plans to meet with Zelenskyy at Trump Tower Friday morning but also took the opportunity to dig at the Ukraine president over his comment that Trump doesn’t know how to win the war.
“I disagree with him. Well, he doesn’t know me, but, I will say this, I believe I will be able to make a deal between President Putin and President Zelenskyy quite quickly,” he said.
Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy on Wednesday for not making concessions to Russia, giving his strongest indication to date he would stop backing Kyiv if he wins the U.S. presidential election. Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump told the crowd that any deal would be better than the situation Ukraine is currently in.
“We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelenskyy,” Trump said.
Trump has said many times that Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine in 2022 if he was president and has claimed that he’ll negotiate an end to the war if he returns to the Oval Office, though during his debate with Harris he wouldn’t say if he wanted Ukraine to win.
On Thursday, ahead of his press conference in New York City, Trump posted a letter to social media purportedly from Zelenskyy requesting a meeting with him in the city on Friday.
Still, some of Ukraine’s Republican backers were ready to turn the page and put the emphasis on the current president’s narrowing window to help Kyiv.
“You hit him, he’s going to hit you back,” Graham said of Trump. “And we don’t need any more of that. What we need is a change in strategy. The war hinges on what Biden does this week, not what Trump may do.”
Several Republicans, of course, have long been skeptical of — and many have outright opposed — continued U.S. defense aid to Ukraine. Vance, has been among the most outspoken in suggesting the war in Ukraine is of little consequence to America.
At the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested on Thursday that the GOP outcry was hypocritical, a transparent attempt to justify an opposition to backing Ukraine that is already deeply rooted.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Pennsylvania, Jean-Pierre told reporters, was “something the Ukrainians asked for.”
She pointed to the Ukrainian president’s July visit to Utah where he appeared with Republican Gov. Spencer Cox. “They did this a couple of months ago in Utah with a Republican governor,” Jean-Pierre said. “We didn’t hear any investigation request when he went to a Republican state.”
Lawmakers in both parties said that Zelenskyy ought to be afforded some latitude as he fights for the future of his country. Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.) suggested there ought not to be so much pearl-clutching from some Republicans.
“Let’s not get overly politically sensitive here,” Cardin said in an interview. “Let’s give this guy a little bit of a break; he’s speaking out for Ukraine. He’s made very clear he’s not engaged in the politics of this country, so don’t draw him into them. It’s too serious of an issue.”
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said Zelenskyy should stay above the political fray, but underscored the substance of the Ukrainian president’s bipartisan Senate meeting.
Zelenskyy previewed the contours of his victory plan for the war, Hoeven said, which focused on a request for more military extensive capabilities using money that Congress provided in April, rather than seeking more U.S. funding for the war effort.
In addition to his push for the Biden administration to ease restrictions on striking into Russian territory with U.S. weapons, Hoeven said Zelenskyy told them Ukraine needs more F-16 fighters and long-range missiles.
“Obviously, he has to stay out of anything related to our politics or the election here. That’s true in any situation like this, where you’re dealing with a foreign leader,” Hoeven said. “The real key, though, today is that he met with senators on both sides of the aisle. And what we talked about, at least what I really want to talk to him about, is how do you get to an end to the war that works for Ukraine and what does it take.”
Eli Stokols and Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.