Photo: Collected
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will have to retreat step by step if Washington does not provide assistance to Kiev, according to an op-ed in the Washington Post on Friday (29 March).
"If there is no U.S, support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimeter artillery rounds," he said. "It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps."
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine does not have enough interceptors and other air-defense weapons.
"That's true. I don't want Russia to know what number of air-defense missiles we have, but basically, you're right," he said. "Without the support of Congress, we will have a big deficit of missiles. This is the problem. We are increasing our own air-defense systems, but it is not enough."
Zelenskyy shared that Ukraine is trying to find some way not to retreat.
Congress has been deadlocked for months over a foreign aid supplemental bill that would provide funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. While the Senate approved a $95 billion version of the bill last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring it to the House floor for a vote.
Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. President Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to liberate Donbas and create conditions that guarantee Russia's security.
Russia earlier sent a note to NATO because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.
Messenger/Mumu
