The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson , asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to fire his ambassador to the US because of Zelensky's visit a few days ago to an arms factory in Pennsylvania, BTA reported.
"I demand that you immediately fire Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova,", Johnson wrote in a letter to the Ukrainian leader.
Johnson released the letter a day before Zelensky is expected to visit the Capitol in Washington to meet with congressmen. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is not expected to be among them.
Some Republicans were irritated by a visit these days by the Ukrainian president to a munitions plant in President Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is one of the so-called swing states considered key to victory in the November 5 presidential election.
During the visit, Zelensky also met with state Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Bob Casey and Congressman Matt Cartwright, each of whom is a Democrat.
The race for the White House pits Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate, who is the Democratic nominee, against former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
"The site is in a swing state that is the subject of a contested political race, with the delegation (from the U.S. side that welcomed Zelensky at the plant) headed by a senior representative of Harris' campaign staff. In its composition - on purpose - not a single Republican was included and invited," Johnson wrote. "The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event intended to help Democrats and clearly constituted election interference."
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee announced it would investigate whether Zelensky's visit was an attempt to use a foreign leader to benefit the Harris campaign.
In the US, it is common practice for governors to meet with foreign heads of state and government who have arrived to visit their state. In July, Zelensky visited a plant in Utah and was welcomed by the state's governor, Republican Spencer Cox, notes Reuters.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of refusing to conclude an agreement with Moscow to end Russia's war in Ukraine, BTA reported.
"We keep giving billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal," Trump said at a campaign rally in North Carolina, quoted by DPA and AFP. "After so many have died, any agreement, even the worst, would be better than the (situation) we have now."
"We are talking about a country that has been wiped out, it is impossible to rebuild it," continued Trump, referring to the situation in Ukraine. "It will take hundreds of years to restore it. Even if the whole world came together, there wouldn't be enough money to rebuild it."
Trump also criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their continued support for Kiev and signaled that he would end US aid to Ukraine if he wins another term in the White House in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
"They will not be satisfied until they send American children away,", Trump claimed. "We will not send our soldiers from across the ocean."
The Republican candidate began his attack on Ukraine with a reference to Zelensky's recent criticisms of Trump and his vice presidential candidate JD Vance, the Associated Press points out.
The Ukrainian leader, who is in the US to attend the annual session of the UN General Assembly, told The New Yorker that Vance was "too radical" in his proposal that Ukraine cede territories under Russian control and that Trump "doesn't really know how to stop the war even if he thinks he does.
"This is something that we need to discuss quickly because the president of Ukraine is in our country and he is making mildly unpleasant slander against your beloved president, me,", Trump said.
Biden is expected to receive Zelensky at the White House today. The Ukrainian leader intends to present his "plan for victory" against Russia. His meetings with members of the American Congress are also planned.
Zelensky intends to meet with Trump as part of his visit to the USA. But according to the publication "Politico" such a conversation is unlikely to happen at this stage.