Once again, Volodymyr Zelensky reminds us that money is the be-all and end-all of war. Ukraine's president warned on Sunday that a decline in US support for Kiev would be a “bad signal” in the face of the Russian army, while a new American aid package is currently blocked in Congress.
“Passivity or lack of support from the USA would send the wrong signal. “That wouldn’t be fair to anyone,” he said in an interview broadcast on ZDF on Sunday. “The United States is our number one partner,” he also emphasized.
A $61 billion negotiation
After Joe Biden's administration delivered tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Kiev since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, its funds were exhausted at the end of 2023. Republicans, who are also concerned about immigration, are deadlocked.
The last shipment of American military aid to Ukraine was announced on December 27, and the White House has repeatedly said there would be no more without a budget extension.
Support from Olaf Scholz
Faced with this blockage, Volodymyr Zelensky called on Germany to use its economic weight to mobilize its European partners to close the gap. “Many countries have important economic relations with Germany and their economies depend on Germany’s decisions because it has a strong economy,” he said. According to him, “Germany can succeed in consolidating the (support) of the EU.”
On Wednesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on his European partners to increase their commitment to armaments. “Europe must do more to support Ukraine in the defense of its own country,” he told the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit,” estimating that the contributions so far planned by European nations for 2024 are “not high enough.”
As for the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to express optimism on Sunday about the possibility of a victory for Donald Trump, who is seen as less positive for Kiev's support, in the next American presidential election. “I don’t think all U.S. policy depends on one person,” he said, believing that “the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans support Ukraine.”