Ukrainian-born Congresswoman said Biden, Zelensky must do more to repel Russian invasion

The only Ukrainian-born member of Congress on Wednesday called out both President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for “playing politics” instead of focusing on the task at hand – repelling the Russian invasion.

.@POTUS Biden and @ZelenskyyUa need to stop playing politics with people's lives and Congress, @SpeakerPelosi and @SenSchumer, has to implement proper oversight in Ukraine. https://t.co/eslOKL9AV7 pic.twitter.com/ny3dUBYCwF

— Rep. Victoria Spartz (@RepSpartz) July 6, 2022

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said her assessment came from her multiple visits to Ukraine since the outbreak of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

“As someone who learns everything from the ground, I spent some time around Europe including a number of visits to Ukraine,” Spartz said in a statement.

“Therefore, my understanding of the situation in Ukraine is not from books and theories or surveillance reports and analytics, but from seeing and hearing what’s actually happening with my own eyes. I will not go into many problems at this time and there are a [sic] plenty of them, but will just list three urgent action items needed to get the situation under control.”

The congresswoman called on Biden to “have a clear strategy” and to align security assistant and other aid to that strategy.

She also made the uncommon move of calling on Zelensky, a breakout star in the international community for his brave resistance to Putin’s advances, to do more.

“President Zelensky has to stop playing politics and theater, and start governing to better support his military and local governments,” Spartz said.

Criticism of Zelensky is very rare in the U.S., noted Politico’s Andrew Desiderio. The only other member of Congress to have done so is Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), who called the Ukrainian president a “thug” in March.

But a Washington Post article from March offered a glimpse of Ukrainian civilian volunteers’ struggle on the dangerous front lines in the east. Two frustrated officers said they and their company were undertrained, underequipped and always short on supplies – at one time, subsisting on one potato a day.

For her third point, Spartz asked Congress to “establish proper oversight of critical infrastructure and delivery of weapons and aid.”

Oversight of the billions in aide meant for Ukraine has been a point of increasing tension between Capitol Hill and the Pentagon, according to Politico.