Zelensky meets with House members as Johnson calls for Ukraine envoy’s ouster

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with a bipartisan group of House members Thursday, a huddle that came against the backdrop of the GOP’s amped up criticism of the foreign leader.

Zelensky, who is in Washington as part of a multiday trip to the U.S., gathered for roughly an hour with a cadre of House members from both parties, during which they discussed the Ukrainian leader’s “victory plan” for his country’s war against Russia. 

“There were a lot of people in the room, a lot of questions, and we went relatively quickly,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md). “The president had one hour, and then he had to leave. … And some questions were asked about the plan and the confidence in a plan.”

Hanging over that huddle, however, was Zelensky’s trip to Pennsylvania earlier this week, which Republicans argue amounted to a form of election meddling. Zelensky met with Keystone State Democrats and toured the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant — a factory that produces 155 mm artillery rounds — a visit that Republicans contend was effectively a campaign stop for Vice President Harris.

House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) opened an investigation into Zelensky’s trip Wednesday, questioning if the Biden-Harris administration “committed an abuse of power” in transporting him on a military plane. Shortly after, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called on Zelensky to fire his ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, whom he accused of organizing “a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats.”

Johnson said he would not meet with the Ukrainian president this week because of scheduling conflicts. Markarova was spotted walking with Zelensky throughout his visit to the Capitol on Thursday.

Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Johnson’s call for Markarova to be fired came up once during the huddle Thursday, when House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) at the end of the meeting told Zelensky, “I want to meet with you on this whole Pennsylvania thing.”

“That’s the only moment in which it came up,” Himes added, noting that Zelensky did not apologize for the visit.

While the visit was only mentioned briefly, according to Himes, the stop in Pennsylvania was a topic of conversation in the halls of the Capitol. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), a bullish supporter of Ukraine, expressed concern about the decision for the Ukrainian leader to visit the state. 

“It was not supposed to be political. … It’s very understandable that it could have been interpreted to be political, but I’m confident that for the government of Ukraine, it was not meant to be political,” he said.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), another lawmaker who is resolute in his support for Ukraine, however, took a more moderate tone, telling reporters after the meeting: “We don’t know anything about what happened there, my sense is that it might have been a huge misunderstanding, but we just don’t know.”

“But we’ll get to the bottom of it,” he added.

Hoyer rejected the notion that the call for Markarova to be fired will impact U.S. support for Ukraine, saying, “I don’t think so.”

“It should not,” he added. “We need to win this war. I think that was the message that both sides gave to the president.”

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, meanwhile, described the meeting as positive and uplifting despite the partisan political storm that has gathered around Zelensky. 

“This meeting was a positive meeting. … The positive nature of the meeting was there was bipartisan support for success in Ukraine, which I think is critically important,” Hoyer told reporters. 

“I think we need to win this war. I think we need to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine and protect democracy. I think NATO is committed to that end. The United States is committed to that end.”

Fitzpatrick said Zelensky shared with lawmakers what the Ukrainians need in terms of support, providing an update on the battlefield, and giving a list to lawmakers of individuals and businesses evading sanctions, and of places where additional sanctions can be levied.

“It’s a multilayered challenge that he’s dealing with, and just got to make sure we stay with him and finish the job,” Fitzpatrick said. 

Republicans largely brushed off the significance of Johnson’s absence from the meeting, pointing to his comments about his schedule.

“I wasn’t able to schedule a meeting with Zelensky this week because I had a very busy one, as you all might have noticed, and I don’t even think I’ll be in town now tomorrow,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday, after the House passed a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown.

Questions, however, have swirled about the House’s ability to send more aid to Ukraine down the road if Johnson remains atop the GOP conference. While the Speaker helped usher through a foreign aid package earlier this year, his conference has grown increasingly isolationist.

Hoyer, who previously served as Democratic majority leader, expressed confidence in Congress’s ability to stand by Kyiv no matter who is in leadership.

“Let me say that support for Ukraine has consistently gotten over 300 votes in the House of Representatives, with or without the Speaker voting for it,” he said.

President Biden on Thursday announced an $8 billion aid package for Ukraine, to include about $5.5 billion in military assistance directly from Department of Defense stockpiles and $2.4 billion in air defense, munitions, training and maintenance.