Zelenskyy on US military aid for Ukraine being blocked in Congress: We lost half a year, we can't waste time anymore – the WP

Ukrainska Pravda
·2 min read
14
Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Stock photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Stock photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has once again urged the US Congress to approve additional funding for military aid for Ukraine as soon as possible, explaining that Ukraine’s capabilities in the combat zone depend on it.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview for David Ignatius, a columnist of The Washington Post; European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy stated that as long as Ukraine has no certainty it can rely on constant support from the US, "we will stay where we are now in the East". He added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are able to conduct limited offensive operations but "to push them [the Russians – ed.] out, we need more weapons".

Zelenskyy stressed that due to internal arguments in the Congress "we lost half a year". "We can’t waste time anymore. Ukraine can’t be a political issue between the parties," he added.

The Ukrainian President believes that those criticising aid for Ukraine do not understand what the stakes in the full-scale war are, because "If Ukraine falls, Putin will divide the world" into friends and enemies of Russia.

Asked about the US policy concerning the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy answered that, in his opinion, "Biden is cautious" about nuclear attack from Russia. At the same, Zelenskyy does not believe Putin would resort to this.

Background:

  • The US Congress’ approval of over US$60 billion in aid to Ukraine is currently being blocked by Republicans in the House of Representatives. The White House has repeatedly cautioned that this would significantly harm Kyiv's military efforts on the battlefield.

  • Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, had previously agreed to unblock the decision to help Ukraine, but with significant changes requiring that it be a House project and that it be in the form of a loan or a land-lease.

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on 28 March that he had a telephone conversation with Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Support UP or become our patron!