Congresswoman of Ukrainian origin demands Biden to deal with Zelensky's personnel policy

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives of Ukrainian origin Victoria Spartz asked U.S. President Joe Biden to provide an explanation about the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and his likely ties with Russia. Read more about this publication with the BBC.

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The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reacted very sharply to Spartz's letter.

What is the point of the question

Part of the published letter from Victoria Spartz to the President is hidden, the content of this fragment is not specified.

In the general description of the letter, there is a brief mention of the alleged presence of "various intelligence information about the activities of Mr. Yermak in Ukraine and his possible connections with Russia." These theses are not displayed in the open part of the letter.

The congresswoman mentions, among other things, that Yermak appointed Oleg Tatarov as his deputy for law enforcement, while he “has been delaying the appointment of an independent anti-corruption prosecutor for over a year, which is why the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau are not functioning.”

In an address to Biden, Spartz writes that "Mr. Yermak is causing a lot of concern for a number of people in the US and abroad."

“While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is working hard to forge alliances with the West and our country, it is our responsibility to let him know if we are concerned about key people in his circle. It is also our duty to the brave Ukrainian soldiers and the strong Ukrainian people who are fighting for freedom and international order for all of us,” she concluded.

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She asks to provide the requested information at a classified briefing for Congress on July 12.

Ukraine's reaction

In official Kyiv, Spartz's act was answered quite sharply.

The representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry released a statement according to which Ukraine is "deeply grateful to the United States of America for its unwavering support in countering Russia's aggression," and Spartz's recent actions "against this background are especially contrasting."

“We advise Mrs. Spartz to stop trying to earn additional political capital for herself on baseless speculations around the topic of war in our country and the grief of Ukrainians. Particularly cynical are the manipulations about Ukraine and its leadership by congresswomen of Ukrainian origin,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry called on Spartz "to stop blowing up the existing mechanisms for providing US military assistance to Ukraine" and assured that the Ukrainian side "cooperates as openly as possible with American partners, providing them with comprehensive information on the use of equipment."

“Further bureaucratization and delay in the process, which Victoria Spartz is obviously striving for, will only contribute to the further advancement of the Russian invaders. This is the only scenario the Kremlin is counting on,” the document says.

“We are convinced that no statements and provocations will undermine the high level of trust that has been established between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Joseph Biden, Andriy Yermak and Jake Sullivan, Dmitry Kuleba and Anthony Blinken, as well as other Ukrainian and US officials,” the Foreign Ministry stressed. .

US support

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the United States of America has provided the country with political support and arms transfers. In particular, in May, a law on lend-lease for Ukraine was approved here.

In June, the Pentagon reported that the United States had already allocated about $5,6 billion for the defense of Ukraine.

And on July 8, Joe Biden authorized the provision of a new $400 million aid package to Ukraine.

The package provides for the transfer of four more HIMARS systems, tactical vehicles and ammunition for 155 mm howitzers. In general, Ukraine will have 12 such systems.

Who is Victoria Spartz

Victoria Spartz made it to the lower house of the US Congress - the House of Representatives - in the 2020 elections. Prior to that, she served as an Indiana state senator from Noblesville.

The future congresswoman was born in the city of Nosovka in the Chernihiv region in a family of engineers. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in international economics from the Kiev National Economic University.

In 2000, Victoria married American Jason Spartz and moved to the United States.

There, she received a master's degree in accounting from Indiana University Business School, where she remained to teach.

Spartz has worked in business structures and government agencies, including as the chief financial officer of the Indiana Attorney General's Office. She has her own business in financial advisory, farming and real estate.

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In 2017, Spartz was elected to the Indiana State Senate, where she replaced the retired Luke Kenley.

“She has a strong accent, but her predilection for American politics is even stronger,” local publications wrote at the time.

The next step was the nomination to the House of Representatives of the US Congress.

In her campaign, Victoria celebrated her origins, claiming that it shaped her political views.

She recalled her grandfather's story about how the Soviet authorities took away their own farm from their family during collectivization, and about the Holodomor in the 1930s.

The Spartz campaign website said that "growing up in Ukraine under the rule of the socialists, she directly experienced the dark side of socialism."

“The experience shaped her conservative political philosophy: limited power is always better, and financial and health decisions should be made by people in the free market, not bureaucrats or lobbyists,” her official biography reads.

Every year she comes to Ukraine to visit her grandparents in Nosovka, Chernihiv region.

Criticized Biden and Zelensky

Earlier, Spartz criticized Biden and Zelensky, accused them of "playing politics" and failing to implement a clear strategy while the war continues in Ukraine, writes New York Post.

“As a person who learns everything on the spot, I spent some time in Europe, including several visits to Ukraine,” Spartz said. “Therefore, my understanding of the situation in Ukraine comes not from books and theories or reports of surveillance and analytics, but from what I see and hear with my own eyes. Now I will not go into the details of many of the problems, but simply list three points of urgent action needed in order to bring the situation under control.

“President Biden needs to stop playing politics, have a clear strategy and align security assistance with our strategy,” she said and stressed that “President Zelensky needs to stop playing politics and theater and start better governance to support his military and local authorities".

Spartz concluded, "Congress must establish proper oversight of critical infrastructure and the delivery of arms and aid."

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