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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Admits Ukraine Depends on US for Money and Military |
Kiev - Ukraine could lose the war without further financial and military assistance from the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged this while speaking to CNN in response to a question about America's internal politics, during an interview that aired on Sunday (11/9/2022).
"I thank President Joe Biden and the White House and the bipartisan support," Zelensky told CNN's Fareed Zakaria during the interview, which was recorded in Kiev at several points over the past week. He added, “Without this support, we will not be able to return our land.” “I want to believe that the bipartisan support will remain strong and steadfast. For us, that's very important," Zelensky said, responding to Zakaria's claim that a Republican victory in November's midterm would make the US "less supportive of Ukraine." If the West stops sending weapons and money to Kiev, "Russia can win this fight," Zelensky told CNN.
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He would be willing to make an argument in defense of the aid to US taxpayers, who need to know their money will defend Western “values.” The US has funneled more than $30 billion in military aid to Ukraine, $17 billion of which came between the 2014 coup and an escalation of hostilities in February. The latest ammunition and weapons, announced last week, are worth $675 million.
In addition to weapons, ammunition and cash to fill Ukraine's budget, US and British intelligence agencies are "working with Ukraine," including planning last week's attack in the Kharkov Region, according to Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. "This kind of collaboration demonstrates the combined strength of our military intelligence," Warner, who chairs the US Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN on Sunday.
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Russia sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev's failure to implement the Minsk agreement, which was designed to give the Donetsk and Lugansk regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocol, brokered by Germany and France, was first signed in 2014.
Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has since acknowledged that Kiev's main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and "create a strong armed force."
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republic as an independent state and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that would never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian attack was completely unwarranted.