Zelensky: Loss of ‘unity between Ukraine and the United States’ would be ‘very dangerous’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a new interview warned that losing unity between Ukraine and the U.S. would be “very dangerous.”

“This period, this moment depends, I think, on our unity in Ukraine. And I think that what is very dangerous if we will lose unity in Europe and what is most important, unity between Ukraine and the United States,” Zelensky told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst in an interview on “Special Report.”

His comment comes as anxieties in Ukraine have ramped up amid the nearly three-year war with Russia — and in anticipation of the return of President-elect Trump to the White House.

The concerns stem partly from Trump’s affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he called a “genius” after he invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and reportedly called seven times since leaving office in January 2021. 

Trump’s criticism of the Biden administration’s spending in Ukraine has also sparked concern. Following Trump’s presidential victory, however, Zelensky said he had a “productive” conversation with the president-elect.

The Ukrainian leader’s remarks also come as the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv closed Wednesday after it received what it described as “specific information of a potential significant air attack.”

The release follows a drone and missile attack that officials called “the largest in recent months, The Associated Press reported. The strike killed eight people and wounded dozens, according to an official, as more than 400 people were evacuated from a nine-story building in the city of Sumy, Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said, according to the AP.

Zelensky’s comments also follow President Biden’s approval for the use of Western-provided long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike targets within Russia.

The decision enraged Russia and riled allies of Trump, who has previously been somewhat critical of Ukraine. On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to end the war in a day.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday referred to comments by Putin in September that warned Moscow would view the U.S. and NATO in direct conflict with Russia if the U.S. granted permission to Ukraine to use missiles from the Army Tactical Missile System (ATCMS) far-beyond Russia’s borders to hit targets.

“If this decision is taken, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine,” Putin said at the time.

Ukraine used the ATCMS missiles for the first time Tuesday, striking the Bryansk region in Russia, according to local officials.