President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the U.S. Congress to approve a supplementary aid package for Kyiv, stating in an interview broadcasted on Thursday that failure to do so will cost Ukrainian lives. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have obstructed the approval of a new $60 billion aid package for Ukraine. Zelensky made his appeal during an interview with Fox News, a favorite among American conservatives.
Zelensky told Fox News host Bret Baier during an interview near the frontline in Ukraine, "Will Ukraine survive without support from Congress? Of course. But not all of us." The Ukrainian leader also warned that the cost of aiding Kyiv now is much lower than the potential cost of confronting Russian President Vladimir Putin later if he prevails in Ukraine.
The United States has provided military aid to Ukraine worth tens of billions of dollars, making it the largest donor to Kyiv ever. However, current funding has run out, while allies of former President Donald Trump in the House are stalling the passage of a new aid package. Trump, a potential Republican presidential candidate, opposes aid to Kyiv and recently used his influence to block a U.S. bill to reform border and immigration laws that could have facilitated additional aid to Ukraine in a bargain between Democrats and Republicans.
Zelensky stated at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that he is ready to take Trump to the front lines in Ukraine, adding that policymakers need to see for themselves what real war entails.
