GOP-held house to scrutinize aid to Ukraine – FT – RT World News

US support for Ukraine is likely to come under scrutiny after the GOP takes control of the House in January, the Financial Times predicts. The party has a number of skeptics who do not want to give kyiv a “blank check.”

Last Friday, the newspaper highlighted conservative dissent amid widespread praise and applause Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky received during his visit to Washington. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene did not attend his speech to Congress, while fellow Republicans Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert refused to stand and applaud.

All three criticized President Joe Biden’s policy of helping Ukraine to “as long as it takes” to defeat Russia. They cited the lack of control over aid and said Washington had higher priorities, such as confronting China and safeguarding America’s southern border amid the migrant crisis.

“When we say you shouldn’t send endless amounts of money to this place where we exacerbate death and strife, it’s like we’re traitors to the movement because Lauren Boebert and I didn’t lifted in a sort of North Korean-style performance,” Gaetz said, explaining his lack of enthusiasm for Zelensky to Fox News.

Some prominent conservative figures have attacked the Ukrainian leader. Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has long criticized Zelensky’s pleas for continued help, said the military attire he wore during the speech to Congress made him look like the “manager of a strip club.” Donald Trump Jr., the son of former President Trump, called Biden’s guest a “international queen of well-being”.

Kevin McCarthy, who is set to become the next House speaker, shocked Kyiv and his supporters in October when he promised there would be no “blank check” for Ukraine under a GOP majority.

Zelensky’s visit last week came as Congress debated a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, in which about $45 billion was earmarked directly or indirectly for his country. The United States has allocated more than $100 billion for its response to the Ukraine crisis this year. In his speech, Zelensky described aid money as a “investment” in a democracy rather than “charity.”

Russia has warned against pumping arms and money into Ukraine, saying it will not change its intention to eliminate what it perceives as a threat to national security. Senior Russian officials said Washington was using the Ukrainians as cannon fodder in a proxy war against Moscow and actively thwarted attempts at negotiation.

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