During the CNN interview, President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of support for Ukraine by Western partners in the fight against the aggression of the Russian Federation.
“It is important that US people understand this, despite the war being in Ukraine. Because the war in Ukraine is the war for the values of the whole world… It is important that this message gets across all those thousands of kilometers and people in the USA understand how we are here, what we are fighting for and that they need to support Ukraine because of this, not for nothing,” Zelenskyy said.
President gave an example of how our army, our defenders, are fighting. He mentioned that this is an example of how Ukraine “was preparing for anything.”
“But when you are preparing ahead of time, it is not necessary to inform the enemy, so they would also prepare for your reaction. That is why I did not like the situation when we needed to report to everyone - here, look, we are preparing, we will act this way or that way,” - Zelenskyy said.
He also explained that the economic side is also essential, particularly the stability of the economy.
Ukrainian President reminded that he repeatedly told US President Joe Biden that the country would fight against Russia “the hardest of all.”
“But we will not be able to stand alone against Russia… If Ukraine falls, then Russian troops will be on the border of the NATO member countries. They will be on the border of Lithuania, Poland… And you will have the same issue there. And there will be a great challenge, the second one this time because there will also be provocations. There already were examples with Belarus. When there was a migration crisis, there was pressure… And where was NATO then?” Zelenskyy asked.
Earlier, it was reported that Biden would not support Zelenskyy’s appeal for the no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“President was very clear that he does not intend to send American troops to war with Russia. And I think that it is important to note here that it would be, essentially, a step in that direction. Because no-fly zone will require implementation,” said Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary.
At the same time, Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State, during his talk with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, promised to increase the supply of weapons and the number of sanctions against Russia.