According to the Ukrainian president, tens of billions of dollars from Washington can bring victory

In an interview with NBC television, Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the upper house of Congress to vote on the legislation containing military aid as soon as possible, and said that the necessary weapon systems should reach the military of his country as soon as possible. He warned against a further six-month delay in aid and said there must be an end to the adoption of the aid package so that his country’s soldiers receive tangible help on the battlefield as soon as possible.

With regard to Ukraine’s military needs, he emphasized that long-range weapons and air defense equipment are now in greatest demand, and he believed that with the new support they would be able to stabilize the situation on the battlefield and take back the initiative.

When asked about the exact timetable for the war, the Ukrainian president said it depends on how quickly help arrives, but noted that there are many factors that affect what happens next.

Regarding the strategy for ending the war, he stated that it should not be based on “the words of Putin and his entourage, but on something that is detailed and tangible for an independent and democratic Ukraine.”

He described speculation that Donald Trump, if elected US president in November, would pressure Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia in order to end the war as “rumour”, adding that he did not believe it.

According to Zelensky, the war in his country means that “the United States does not have to fight to protect NATO countries, because the Ukrainians do it, and the civilized world only has to provide the necessary equipment for the fight.” He believed that the money spent on the Ukrainian war was not a wasted amount, because the Americans above all protect the freedom and democracy of Europe.

On Saturday, the US House of Representatives passed a law containing 60.8 billion dollars (about HUF 23,000 billion) on the continuation of support to Ukraine, which allows for the resumption of regular US military deliveries to the Ukrainian forces after a break of almost 4 months.

In its Saturday session, the lower house of Congress also adopted the legislation on military support for Israel and the aid intended for the United States’ allies in Southeast Asia. The package of laws also included legislation enabling the banning of the Chinese-owned video sharing application TikTok.

About three-quarters of the representatives voted yes for the law on support for Ukraine, so it was voted with 311 votes in favor and 112 votes against. 112 Republican representatives voted no. One of them, Texas Rep. Chip Roy, emphasized that his fellow representatives had gone against the unified Republican position for months, which was that they would not accept aid to Ukraine until there was an agreement on guarding the southern border of the United States and restoring border security. He added that the crisis on the American border is a direct national security threat to the United States.

Following the adoption of the law, President Joe Biden thanked Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson for putting it to the vote and emphasized that as soon as it is voted on by the upper house of Congress, the Senate, and the law is on his desk, he will sign it immediately. According to the president, the representatives who voted yes prioritized national security.