New York, March 1 (IANS) A trip by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to an artillery shells factory in former US President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton in Pennsylvania during the middle of the US presidential campaign last year exploded in a diplomatic confrontation at the Oval Office.
Describing him an ingrate, US Vice-President J.D. Vance accused him on Friday of working against President Donald Trump in the run-up to the election.
“You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the Opposition in October,” Vance said, leaning forward and extending his arms together towards him.
The visit, however, had taken place in September. And it was in a swing state, that then-Vice President Kamala Harris thought was vital to defeating Trump.
Republicans had protested soon after calling it a campaign for Harris.
Zelensky started to react, saying, “You think that, if you will, speak very loudly about the war …”, when Trump cut him off, “He is not speaking very loudly. Your country is in big trouble.”
The Ukrainian leader posted on X after the factory visit, “It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail.”
He added, “Thanks to people like these — in Ukraine, in America, and in all partner countries — who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.”
The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant that Zelensky visited, makes the 155 mm howitzer rounds that are finished at another plant in Iowa.
The shells are vital to Ukraine’s war, and the US had boosted their production by 50 per cent and invested $400 million in modernising the plant.
US House of Representative Oversight Committee Chair James Comer launched an investigation into whether it was foreign interference.
Announcing the probe, which did not go further, Comer wrote to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland, “The Committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice-President Harris’ presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power.”
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt accused Zelensky of “openly campaigning for Democrats in battleground Pennsylvania”.
Adding to the impression of partisanship, Zelensky was accompanied during the visit by former Democrat Senator Bob Casey, who ultimately lost the election to Republican Dave McCormick.
Zelensky followed that with a visit to Washington, where he met with Biden and Harris.
–IANS
al/khz
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