GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Zelenskyy for ‘absurd’ plan to address US Congress

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s intention to address the US Congress during his Washington visit was labeled as “absurd” by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who further called it nothing but an attempt by the Ukrainian President to extort more money from the US for his war-torn nation.

Taking to her Twitter handle on Tuesday, Greene termed Ukraine as the 51st state of the United States due to Washington’s priority to providing assistance to Kyiv amid the ongoing war with Russia. "Of course the shadow president has to come to Congress and explain why he needs billions of American’s taxpayer dollars for the 51st [US] state, Ukraine. This is absurd. Put America First," she said in a tweet. 

However, this isn’t the first time that Greene has criticized the Biden administration for extending support to Ukraine. Earlier this year, the Congresswoman was asked at a town hall in Georgia: "Do you agree with Rep. Madison Cawthorn that Zelenskyy is corrupt and that the Ukrainian government is corrupt?” Responding to it swiftly, Greene said, “Yes and yes. That's an easy one,” Politico reported.

On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Zelenskyy was on his way to Washington to be a part of a summit with his American counterpart Joe Biden. The US visit, which is the Ukrainian president’s first known overseas trip since the Russian invasion earlier this year, will include him addressing a joint session of Congress. 

Zelenskyy visits the US ahead of new $45 billion package

Zelenskyy’s latest trip comes on the heels of American lawmakers planning to vote on a $45 billion emergency assistance package for 2023 to Ukraine, and the Pentagon preparing to deliver weapons like the Patriot surface-to-air missiles to help the country beat Russian attacks.

Earlier on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that Biden is looking forward to meeting Zelenskyy, and is certain that his address to Congress will show “the strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine.”

“The visit will underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance," she said in the statement, which was issued on the official website of the White House.