earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Ukraine to see the situation on the ground first hand.
“Mr. McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, what’s happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions,” Zelensky said to CNN.
“I think that Speaker McCarthy, he never visited Kyiv or Ukraine, and I think it would help him with his position,” Zelensky mentioned.
McCarthy told CNN on Tuesday that he has no plans to visit the country. McCarthy has expressed his support for Ukraine, but emphasized that he does not advocate for an open-ended commitment, rightfully so.
McCarthy said, “Let’s be very clear about what I said: no blank checks, OK? So, from that perspective, I don’t have to go to Ukraine to understand where there’s a blank check or not. I will continue to get my briefings and others, but I don’t have to go to Ukraine or Kyiv to see it. And my point has always been, I won’t provide a blank check for anything.”
House Speaker McCarthy has faced the challenge of having differing opinions within his party regarding providing additional assistance to Ukraine. While there is widespread bipartisan support for the country in Congress, a few House Republicans have advocated for an end to further military and financial aid.
