Zelensky makes pitch for US weapons: Politics should not ‘betray the soldier’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday pushed for the U.S. to continue supporting Ukraine, arguing it was vital to stand united against dictatorships and that politics must not “betray the soldier” in the fight for freedom.

Zelensky, speaking at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University in Washington, D.C., in a visit to the Capitol this week, said that American weapons “can get the job done” and defeat Russian forces in Ukraine, asking the U.S. to maintain its support.

“It’s crucial that politics don’t even try to betray [the] soldier, because just like weapons are needed for defense, freedom always requires unity,” he said. “The whole world is watching us, observing [the] destiny of the free nation.”

“[Ukrainians] haven’t given up and won’t give up,” Zelensky continued. “We know what to do. And you can count on Ukraine. And we hope just as much to be able to count on you.”

Ukraine is fighting through a stalemate with Russia across the 600-mile front after its highly anticipated counteroffensive failed to break through Russian lines.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war and is betting that Western allies will crack on supporting Ukraine.

The U.S. has not passed a Ukraine aid bill all year, and Congress is currently mired in another fight over legislation that would send billions to Kyiv and address border security. The U.S. is Ukraine’s biggest supporter, and a decrease in weapons flow could severely damage Kyiv’s fight.

With U.S. dollars for his country running out, Zelensky has pressed Washington to act. His visit to the American capital this week will also involve a meeting with President Biden at the White House and talks with Congress.

Zelensky, who previously admitted the counteroffensive did not achieve the hoped-for results, said that Ukraine has succeeded this year in other ways: preventing any major Russian progress on the battlefield and partially destroying the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, which forced naval ships to retreat from Sevastopol.

“Ukraine won in the Black Sea,” he said.

Zelensky also vowed to push Russia back on the battlefield next year and said he would be discussing with Biden and other American leaders how they can accomplish the objective.

He said an increase in air power, for one, would be a major boost to Ukrainian military capabilities, making the comments as Ukrainian pilots are training on American F-16 fighter jets.

“We’ll remove Russian air advantage. That’s solving one of our major problems,” Zelensky said, saying he was establishing a path to victory and an end to Russian imperialism. “By pushing Putin back, we’ll strip his aggression of its meaning.”