Marjorie Taylor Greene attacks plans for Ukraine's president to visit Congress, calling Zelenskyy the 'shadow president' and Ukraine the '51st state'

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene strongly criticised a surprise visit to the US by Ukraine's president.
• Far-right Republicans have opposed billions in aid sent by the US to help Ukraine fight Russia.
• "Put America First!!!" the Georgia Republican tweeted, while calling Ukraine the 51st state.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's surprise visit to the US, amid opposition from the Republican far right to US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Zelenskyy early Wednesday announced he was on his way to Washington, DC, his first overseas trip since Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine in February. He will meet with President Joe Biden and appeal for enhanced support.

The trip was organized in secrecy to void compromising security arrangements, with reports of the planned visit emerging on Tuesday.

In a tweet later that day, Greene, a Georgia Republican and prominent supporter of Donald Trump, criticized the plans.

"Of course the shadow president has to come to Congress and explain why he needs billions of American's taxpayer dollars for the 51st state, Ukraine. This is absurd. Put America First!!!" Greene said.

—Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 20, 2022

Zelenskyy's visit comes at a key moment in the US political cycle, as well as in the war in Ukraine.

Republicans are set to take control of the House of Representatives after winning a slender majority in the midterm elections. While in Ukraine, some reports claim Russia may be planning to launch a massive winter offensive, after suffering a series of recent setbacks.

The $19 billion in aid the US has so far given Ukraine has been vital in its fight against Russia, with additional US support expected to be announced by Biden during Zelenskyy's visit.

The far right of the GOP has long stirred opposition to the US' support for Ukraine, rallying around an isolationist "America First" foreign policy, and with some expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Greene could emerge with enhanced power in the wake of the midterms, as a prominent member of the party's MAGA wing. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who is campaigning to be elected House Speaker, has echoed her criticisms of the US' Ukraine aid program, saying in October that under GOP control the House would not be offering a "blank check" in its support for Ukraine.

However, analysts believe that broad bipartisan support for Ukraine remains strong, and attempts to cut off or seriously limit aid to Ukraine are unlikely to succeed.

In an address to Congress on Wednesday, Zelenskyy is expected to appeal to the US not to relent in its support for Ukraine, which he will portray as part of an existential battle against authoritarianism.