Send weaponry as fast as you can, Ukraine's ambassador says
Ukraine's ambassador to the United States said Sunday her nation very much needs as much weaponry as possible to arrive as soon as possible.
"There is no such thing as fast enough when we are up against such a bad enemy, and we have to catch up for a long pause," Ambassador Oksana Markarova said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"We need it to be faster," she said.
The latest batch of American weaponry for use in Ukraine's defense against Russia was held up until Congress cleared an aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan last month; domestic political considerations had stalled approval of that aid. “We’re sending Ukraine equipment from our own stockpiles, then we’ll replenish those stockpiles with new products made by American companies here in America,” President Joe Biden said when signing the legislation April 25.
Russia has regained momentum in the two-year-old war in recent weeks, gaining ground as Ukrainian forces have pulled back from some towns; reports have indicated that dwindling stockpiles had forced Ukraine to ration some of its ammunition on the front.
Russia has also escalated its strikes on Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. At least 11 people were killed in missile strikes Sunday on the outskirts of the city.
Markarova, who recently returned from a visit to Ukraine, said her country has a need for more air-defense systems to respond to an uptick in strikes on Ukrainian communities.
"We're very grateful to those who are providing us with their systems," she said. "We're grateful to the U.S. for looking for them, allowing them, funding some of them, but we need more and it's time to literally take some brave decisions and provide us with more of this so we can see them right away, where we need them." Her remarks echoed comments made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Telegram.
Ukraine has been pushing to allow it to strike targets in Russian territory with American-made weapons, particularly military supply depots over the border.
"We are defending ourselves," the ambassador told host Margaret Brennan, "whether we are striking Russian troops on our territory or Russian troops outside of our territory. And we have been trying to do that. But of course there were some restrictions. Now I will not go publicly into discussions — where we are on discussions with either U.S. or any of our other partners. But I just want to say that it's clear that Russia is an aggressor here."
