WASHINGTON: Ukraine “will lose” its war against Russia if the United States cuts military aid to Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News on Tuesday.
“If they cut, we will — I think we will lose,” Zelensky admitted in an interview with the US television network.
“We will fight. We have our production, but it’s not enough to prevail. And I think it’s not enough to survive,” he added.
Zelenskyy fears danger if Ukraine loses unity, defeat if US cuts funds, 1,000 days after war began https://t.co/10IdzNKUr6
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 20, 2024
US President-elect Donald Trump is a vocal skeptic of the billions that the administration of Biden has given to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in 2022.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the war quickly, but has not provided details of how he would do so.
This week his allies voiced vehement criticism of Biden’s decision to let Kyiv use US-supplied long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia, accusing him of a dangerous escalation, according to AFP.
READ ALSO: Putin Updates Nuclear Doctrine as Ukraine Strikes Russia with Long-Range Missiles
President Zelensky told Fox that “unity” between Ukraine and the United States was “most important.”
Trump, he added, could influence Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, “because he is much more stronger than Putin.”
Putin “can be willing and end this war, but it also depends on the United States of America much more. Putin is weaker than the United States of America,” he claimed.
With Russia gaining ground and increasing talk of negotiations, Ukraine is wary of being at a disadvantage when it comes to hashing out a peace settlement, AFP reported.
Zelensky’s remarks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday approved changes in the country’s nuclear doctrine which allows Russia to consider any attack on its territory by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack.
The previous version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine was approved in June 2020, replacing a similar document that had been in force for ten years. The updated nuclear doctrine of Russia has been published, Russian news agency TASS reported.
The US condemned Russia’s decision to make changes in the country’s nuclear doctrine Tuesday.
The US National Security Council spokesperson said that “we were not surprised by Russia’s announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine” and that Moscow had been “signalling its intent” to do so for several weeks, AFP reported.
Earlier, the United States reportedly allowed Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia.
