Two Republican senators are facing criticism for tweeting photos of a video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they were explicitly not supposed to.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator Steve Daines of Montana posted photos on their Twitter accounts of Zelenskyy during a Zoom meeting that took place Saturday morning. The tweets said they were on a call with the Ukrainian president.
Criticism came quickly, saying that the Ukrainian ambassador had intentionally asked them to not share anything on social media in order to protect the security of Zelenskyy. Members were asked explicitly to not tweet or post photos of the call while it was in process.
Democrat Congressman Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado Crow criticized the senators on their respective Twitter accounts. Crow said it showed an astounding lack of discipline. Phillips said that it was appalling and reckless ignorance.
The call included more than 280 senators, House members and staff, speaking with Zelenskyy in a virtual meeting.
One of the many issues addressed was the possibility of a no-zone over Ukraine. Earlier in the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any more to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be viewed as international “participation” in the ongoing conflict. Zelenskyy asked the U.S. lawmakers on the call if a no-fly zone could be imposed on Russian-made aircrafts.
Other issues addressed were aid to Ukraine, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York telling Zelenskyy that Congress will get the $10 billion in economic, humanitarian and security assistance to Ukraine “quickly.”
Another topic discussed was the possibility of a ban on Russian oil imports and energy sanctions.
The Ukraine embassy coordinated the call with Congress, and specifically with the offices of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as well as the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.
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