Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has come under harsh fire from Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for asking for additional assistance from the United States to hold Ukraine’s own elections while the country is still at war with Russia. This proposal was described by Ramaswamy as a “ballot box shakedown.”
“Zelenskyy’s veiled threat to forgo democratic elections in Ukraine unless the American people foot the bill and cough up another $135 million in funding represents a new level of extortion of the United States,” Ramaswamy said in a press release acquired by Fox News Digital. Our country is being conned by a leader in Ukraine who is willing to jeopardise his own country’s reputation as a “democracy” in an effort to win more funding from American taxpayers, he continued. This is incorrect.
Ramaswamy, a political outsider, emphasized that while Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions have been questionable, this should not lead the U.S. to view Zelenskyy as a paragon of democratic leadership. He pointed out that Zelenskyy’s recent actions, including the banning of 11 opposition parties and the consolidation of state media, bear a resemblance to Putin’s tactics of restricting opposition parties and controlling the media landscape.
He also mentioned past commitments made by the U.S., such as the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and James Baker’s commitment to limiting NATO expansion, in relation to the situation in Ukraine.
Ramaswamy vowed that if he were elected president, the U.S. would no longer be taken advantage of, stating, “With over $135 billion in funding already provided, Ukraine should easily be able to allocate 0.1 percent of that to pay for their election.” He criticized claims that U.S. funds sent to support Ukraine are carefully tracked and audited, citing instances where discrepancies have arisen.
Ramaswamy’s criticism aligns with Senator Lindsey Graham’s desire for Ukraine to conduct its own election next year during his recent visit to the nation. Zelenskyy, in response to Graham’s request, mentioned the estimated cost of elections and emphasized that financial support from the U.S. and Europe would be essential to avoid diverting funds from weapons to elections, in accordance with Ukrainian law.
