Chris Lange, FISM News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns that this week is likely to be among the most crucial in the war with Russia so far and says the U.S. has failed to provide specific weapons his military needs in order to match a surge in Russian weaponry and attacks in the east.
“To be honest, whether we will be able to (survive) depends on this,” Zelenskyy said Sunday during a “60 Minutes” interview. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the confidence that we will be receiving everything we need.”
The president pointed out that, while he is grateful to Biden for U.S. military aid that has already been supplied, it is simply not enough, adding that he “long ago” furnished the White House with a list of specific items Ukraine urgently needed.
“He has the list,” Zelenskyy said. “President Biden can enter history as the person who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people who won and chose the right to have their own country. (This) also depends on him.”
Ukraine’s leader also delivered perhaps his most blistering rebuke of NATO to date, saying Sunday that he is “no longer interested in their diplomacy.”
“When you’re working in diplomacy, there are no results. All of this is very bureaucratic,” Zelensky said, adding that his harsh language is “absolutely justified.”
“I don’t have any more lives to give. I don’t have any more emotions. I’m no longer interested in their diplomacy that leads to the destruction of my country,” he added.
NATO said Friday that it “condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine” and last week called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “withdraw all his forces from Ukraine without conditions and engage in genuine diplomacy.”
British PM Johnson makes symbolic wartime visit to Ukraine; Biden not expected to follow suit
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an unannounced visit to Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv Saturday in what a Downing Street spokesperson said was “a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” according to Reuters. Johnson and Zelenskyy, who have been in nearly daily contact since the war began, met secretly at an undisclosed location before appearing together in the capital in front of reporters.
During the joint statement, Johnson pledged tighter sanctions on the Kremlin, vowing to work with allied partners “to ratchet up the economic pressure,” adding that the U.K. “will continue to intensify, week by week, the sanctions on Russia.” Johnson also said Britain will provide Ukraine with more defensive weapons, including 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems.
Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation for Johnson’s support and said he hoped other Western nations would follow the prime minister’s lead.
“We must put more and more pressure on the Russian Federation, work harder to help the people of Ukraine defend it against the Russian Federation, and step up sanctions,” Zelenskyy said. “Other democratic Western states should follow the example of Great Britain. It’s time to impose a complete ban on Russian energy supplies, and increase the delivery of weapons to us,” he continued.
Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel has described Johnson as “one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion, a leader in putting sanctions on Russia and providing defensive support to Ukraine,” according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday that President Biden does not currently have any plans to travel to Ukraine.
NBC “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd pressed Sullivan on whether Biden would travel to Ukraine, referring to Johnson’s symbolic wartime visit.
“It raises the question: are we going to see President Biden in Kyiv?” Todd asked.
“President Biden doesn’t currently have any plans to travel to Kyiv, but I will tell you he sits in the Oval Office and in the Situation Room on a daily basis, organizing and coordinating the world when it comes to the delivery of weapons,” Sullivan replied.
Last month, the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia also visited Ukraine’s capital in a show of solidarity.
"It was quite the symbol to see Prime Minister Boris Johnson walking the streets of Kyiv with President Zelenskyy. It raises the question: are we gonna see President Biden in Kyiv?"
NSA JAKE SULLIVAN: "Biden doesn't currently have any plans to travel to Kyiv." pic.twitter.com/yoS0IHoQRm
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 10, 2022