Ted Cruz has claimed that Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky faked air raid sirens during the president’s visit to Ukraine.
The emergency klaxons could be heard going off in the background as the two leaders walked together through Kyiv during the surprise visit earlier this week.
Mr Cruz, the US Senator from Texas, made the suggestion during his Verdict podcast, during which co-host Ben Ferguson claimed, “The sirens go off. He doesn’t even look up for a moment.”
Mr Cruz, who was previously mocked for taking a trip to the Texas-Mexico border during which he posed on a patrol boat armed with heavy machine guns, agreed with Ferguson.
“Listen, you’re right. Zelensky is engaged in theatre as well. And look, Zelensky, before he was president, he was an actor,” the Republican lawmaker stated.
“He was a professional actor in a popular sitcom in Ukraine. And now he’s president. He understands acting. And so, you know, it’s a little jarring seeing all of these images of him in a sweatshirt and fatigues next to Biden in his pressed suit,” Mr Cruz continued.
Mr Biden’s visit to Ukraine came almost one year after Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s unprovoked attack on the country.
Mr Cruz added: “The fact that neither Biden nor Zelensky flinch, look around, do anything when the air raid sirens go off, means both of them knew about it because there’s no chance you’re walking through and suddenly air rain sirens go off. You react and you react quickly.”
Twitter users were quick to attack the politician’s claims.
“Good to see you are still Putin’s man in Congress, Ted,” one Twitter user posted.
And another wrote: “Some people go into the line of fire. Some people go on a Mexican vacation when things get tough.”
“Air raid sirens are a sound Ukrainians hear on a daily basis. Despite sirens being annoying, they are helpful. You on the other hand go off every day, are annoying, and not helpful,” tweeted another user.
And another added: “Are you brave enough to walk through Kyiv’s downtown while air raid sirens? Then welcome to Kyiv, Sir!”
