Zelensky: US aid gives Ukraine 'chance at victory'

Ukraine has "a chance at victory" against Russia's full-scale war if it receives the $61 billion in military aid recently passed by the United States House of Representatives, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News on April 21.

"I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces, I pray, and we will have a chance at victory if Ukraine really gets the weapons system, which we need so much, which thousands of soldiers need so much," Zelensky said.

After months of delays and political infighting, the House on April 20 approved a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. The funds are urgently needed as Russian forces gain ground at the front lines and massive aerial attacks erode Ukraine's air defense capacity.

The Senate is expected to advance the bill in the coming days, whereupon U.S. President Joe Biden will sign it into law.

Zelensky thanked U.S. legislators for approving the aid bill and urged the U.S. to deliver the weapons as quickly as possible.

"Then we want to help get things as fast as possible so that we get some tangible assistance for the soldiers on the frontline as soon as possible — not in another six months — so that they would be able to move ahead," Zelensky said.

Read also: Zelensky: Ukraine will lose war if US Congress fails to deliver aid funding

The Ukrainian military's top priorities are long-range weapons and air defense systems, Zelensky told NBC.

"We need long-range weapons to not lose people on the front line because we have, we have casualties because we cannot reach that far. Our weapons are not that long-range," he said.

U.S. Democratic Senator Mark Warner said on April 21 that long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which can travel up to 300 kilometers, may be ready to ship to Ukraine "by the end of the week."

According to Zelensky, Ukraine's ability to retake the initiative from Russia depends on how fast it can get the new U.S. weapons on the ground.

"Now we have the chance to stabilize the situation and to overtake the initiative, and that’s why we need to actually have the weapons systems," he said.

"Giving the U.S. a specific timeline of the war, well it depends how soon they get this aid."

Read also: Ukraine aid bill finally passes the House – what happens next?

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