Afrasianet - Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Alexander Dubinsky says he has made a formal request to the speaker of parliament to start impeachment proceedings against President Volodymyr Zelensky, following US President Donald Trump's administration's decision to stop funding new arms sales toUkraine.
Dubinsky added that he was calling for an extraordinary session of the House of Representatives to consider the possibility of creating a special committee to investigate the president.
The opposition lawmaker justified the impeachment request with what he saw as Zelensky's diplomatic failure in the White House, which led to the country losing unconditional U.S. support.
Dubinski warned that the parliament's leadership would do everything in its power to ignore his request for fear that the issue could be put to a vote.
U.S. threat
On Monday evening, Mike Johnson, speaker of the US House of Representatives and a staunch ally of Trump, said that "the priorities of the Ukrainian president were misplaced, acting in a manner of disgratitude in the Oval Office."
"I hope and pray, frankly, that President Zelensky comes to his senses, apologizes for his behavior and returns to the table gratefully, or that someone else leads the country to do so, and by that I mean it's up to the Ukrainians to decide," Johnson said.
"Time is not on Zelenskiy's side, and the patience of the American people is not limitless," he said.
The US president also criticized his Ukrainian counterpart after his comments that the end of the war with Russia is still far away.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform: "This is the worst statement Zelensky could have made, and America will not tolerate it any longer."
"That's what I've been saying, this man doesn't want there to be peace as long as he has the support of America and Europe."
"I think the war will continue for some time, and I think our relationship with the United States will continue, because it is more than an accidental relationship," Zelenskiy said late on Sunday, referring to Washington's support for his country during the past three years of war.
Vice President J.D. Vance said the president's administration would talk to Ukraine's president if he made a serious proposal about how he would participate in the peace process aimed at ending the war in his country.
He added in an interview with Fox News that granting an economic advantage to the United States in Ukraine is the best way for Kiev to obtain a security guarantee.
Freeze aid
The Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. officials as saying that the president's administration had decided to stop funding new arms sales to Ukraine.
U.S. officials told the newspaper that the Trump administration's decision threatens Kiev's ability to fight at a crucial moment.
The newspaper quoted a congressional official as saying that the White House was holding a meeting on Tuesday to consider suspending shipments to Ukraine.
U.S. officials told the newspaper that Ukraine would struggle to carry out long-range strikes and protect its rear positions once U.S. supplies ran out.
Reuters quoted the White House as saying Washington would stop and review support for Ukraine to ensure it contributed to a solution to the conflict.
A senior Pentagon official said the United States was halting all current military aid to Kiev, including weapons destined for Ukraine or those in Poland's transit zones.
The Pentagon official told Bloomberg that aid to Ukraine has been halted until Trump determines that Ukraine's leaders are showing goodwill for peace.
Source: Agencies