Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Ukraine, but he declined the invitation, saying that he did not need the trip to make decisions on aid to Kyiv.

Zelenskyy in a TV interview invited McCarthy to visit Ukraine to see for himself what is happening there. In this way, he commented on the politician's words about the "blank check," which is allegedly written out to Kyiv.

"Mr. McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, what’s happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions," Zelenskyy told CNN.

McCarthy told CNN that he does not plan to visit Ukraine and instead criticised President Joe Biden that has not acted quickly enough to aid the country.

"Let's be very clear about what I said: no blank checks, OK? So, from that perspective, I don't have to go to Ukraine to understand where there's a blank check or not," McCarthy underlined.

"I will continue to get my briefings and others, but I don't have to go to Ukraine or Kyiv to see it. And my point has always been, I won't provide a blank check for anything," he added.

As speaker, McCarthy must navigate competing views within his party over sending additional assistance. There is widespread bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress, but some House Republicans are calling for an end to further military and financial aid to the country.

Previously, McCarthy claimed that he would not automatically rubber stamp any aid package (Ukr) the Biden administration requests. However, he supports more assistance for Ukraine.

Republicans also previously advocated establishing mechanisms for stricter oversight with Kyiv's help, which does not mean its reduction, but procedurally it can slow it down.