Speaker Kevin McCarthy has decided to forgo an official invitation to visit Ukraine, according to reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy extended the same courtesy to the current House speaker as he did with McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi. However, unlike Pelosi, McCarthy declined the gesture, according to the US News and World Report.
BREAKING: Kevin McCarthy REJECTS Zelensky’s invitation to visit Ukrainehttps://t.co/SXTdl1KCGU
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) March 8, 2023
Zelenskyy’s invitation comes in the wake of remarks by McCarthy echoing a shifting stance on relations with Ukraine. Leading up to the 2022 Midterm Election, McCarthy remarked that House Republicans would not continue to hand Kyiv a “blank check” to fund its war effort against Russia, ABC News reported. (RELATED: US Intelligence Believes Pro-Ukrainian Group May Have Destroyed Nord Stream Pipelines)
“I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” McCarthy said in the build up to midterms, the outlet reported. “They just won’t do it. … It’s not a free blank check.” (RELATED: Kevin McCarthy Says He Doesn’t ‘Regret’ Handing Over J6 Footage To Tucker Carlson)
News of McCarthy’s decision to forgo an official meeting in the Ukrainian capital isn’t the only noteworthy diplomatic development the House speaker has been involved in this week. On March 6, McCarthy also backtracked on his plans to visit Taiwan to avoid provoking hostilities with China. Instead, McCarthy chose to meet Taiwan’s premier in his home state of California.
McCarthy surmised his feelings on Zelenskyy’s invitation succinctly, telling CNN, “I don’t have to go to Ukraine or Kyiv to see it.”