Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used US military property to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris during a visit to Pennsylvania on Monday, The Federalist reports.
On another trip to ask the US government for money and ammunition, Zelensky toured a munitions plant in Pennsylvania with Governor Josh Shapiro, a known supporter of Kamala Harris, and other Democrats, including Senator Bob Casey. Zelensky arrived in Scranton, Pennsylvania (the birthplace of President Joe Biden, who is often mentioned) aboard a US Air Force C-17 aircraft, images of which he used to promote his visit. In a message recorded from inside the plane, Zelensky said:
“This fall will determine what’s next in this war.”
Sean Parnell, former Pennsylvania Republican candidate for US Senate, said at a Trump rally Monday:
“Zelensky is in Pennsylvania today, signing bombs with Gov. Shapiro. Zelensky is also attacking J.D. Vance in the biggest, most important battleground state in the country during an election year. Folks, if that ain’t foreign election interference, I don’t know what is.”
Notably, Zelensky’s trip came a day after The New Yorker magazine published an interview in which he criticised former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio. Zelensky took note of Trump’s response at a debate about the war in Ukraine, in which the Republican said he wanted the war to end. Zelensky said:
“Trump makes political statements in his election campaign. My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how. With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand. I’ve seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it’s not that simple.”
The Ukrainian leader also called Vance “too radical,” saying his plan to end the war with Russia was “just slogans.” Zelensky said:
“For us, these are dangerous signals, coming as they do from a potential Vice-President. I should say that it hasn’t been like this with Trump.”
“I don’t take Vance’s words seriously, because, if this were a plan, then America is headed for global conflict,” he continued, comparing a negotiation with Russia to appeasement of Adolph Hitler prior to World War II.
Dan Caldwell, public policy advisor at Defense Priorities, posted on social media:
“The Biden-Harris admin is using military assets to fly a foreign leader into a battleground state in order to undermine their political opponents.”
In response to an enquiry from The Federalist, the Department of Defence did not deny the use of US military funds for the trip, but declined to comment on Zelensky’s statements or his apparent campaign work.
Without mentioning Trump by name, Zelensky appeared to go on to criticise the former president later in the interview when he criticised world leaders for seeking a working relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump often emphasises as key to foreign policy success. Zelensky said:
“A lot of world leaders want to have some sort of dealings with Putin, to reach agreements, to conduct some business with him. I look at such leaders and realize that they are very interested in playing this game — and for them, unfortunately, it really is a game. But what makes a real leader? A leader is someone whom Putin needs for something, not a person who needs Putin. Flirting with him is not a sign of strength. Sitting across the table from him might make you believe you’re making important decisions about the world.”
Ironically, Zelensky also said:
“I think Ukraine has demonstrated the wisdom of not becoming captured by American domestic politics.”
During his trip to Pennsylvania, Zelensky visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant. According to Military.com, the plant is one of the few in the country to produce 155mm artillery shells. The US has already supplied Ukraine with 3 million such shells.
The artillery shells that Zelensky inspected and signed along with Shapiro have a range of 15 to 20 miles, but Zelensky has been persistently seeking longer-range missiles to fire at Russia. However, the Biden administration has not approved these munitions and claims that the Ukrainian military already has the ability to bombard Moscow with its own drones.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president was criticised by Donald Trump and his son after Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the US. The presidential candidate called the Ukrainian president a “salesman” at a rally of his supporters. Trump said:
“I see Zelensky has arrived. I consider Zelensky the greatest salesman in history. Every time he comes to our country, he comes back with $60bn. Billions!”
Trump’s son wrote a post where he criticised Zelensky for his words in an interview with the New Yorker magazine, where he said that Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop a war.” Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
“So, a foreign leader who has received billions of dollars in funding from the American taxpayer comes to our country and has the audacity to attack the Republican Party’s nominee for president? And he does this right after a pro-Ukrainian bigot tried to kill my father? Shameful!”
