Americans are not ‘funding’ war in Ukraine, they’re ‘protecting freedom’: Full Zelenskyy interview

I am joined now by the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zalinski. President Zalinski. Welcome back to the press meeting. Good morning and greetings. Well, President Zinski, it's a historic morning. I want to know his reaction to this important news. House approves $61 billion in aid. Ukraine is expected to pass through the Senate, but you have been requesting this aid for 6 months, during that time you have run out of ammunition, you have suffered setbacks on the battlefield, will you receive this aid in time to make a difference, Yeah? It's been so important, which is why I would like to thank Congress for the support of the bipons and I would like to thank President Johnson and President Biden.

In fact, the support of the United States of America is so important and, of course, it is the support of the American people because, of course, political decisions depend on public opinion and this aid will strengthen Ukraine and send the tremor a powerful sign that it will not be the second Afghanistan that the United States will stay with Ukraine and protect. uh the Ukrainians and

they

will protect,

they

will protect democracy in the world, this is the demonstration of leadership and strength of the United States and I think that, in fact, we have now reached this important moment for half a year that we have been waiting for and I I would like to thank the entire team on my side and the US team who did everything possible for us to get this positive vote and today we definitely need this help and Chrisan, you know, we really need to take this to the The last point is that we need get it passed by the Senate and then we want to get things done as quickly as possible so that we can get some tangible assistance to the soldiers on the front lines as soon as possible, not in another six months, so that they can You know what you said this week, President Zalinski, that Ukraine would have no chance of winning without more American support and I guess the question is: can Ukraine win this war now or is the United States simply giving it enough help to prolong it? this war, yes, thank you.

I believe that this support will really strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine and we will have a chance at victory if Ukraine really gets the weapons system that we so need, that thousands of soldiers need so much, and this help should not just be spread in a thin layer everywhere, but it has to end in tangible weapons systems, uh, really crucial weapons systems that are H to get artillery or long range and, uh, I really appreciate that you mention long range attack weapons and it's important. because we need long range weapons so we don't lose people on the front line because we have casualties because we can't go that far our weapons are not that long range so we needed air defense this is crucial and these are the priorities now, President Solinski as You know this aid was delayed for half a year because there is fierce opposition to sending more aid to Ukraine, especially among some Republicans, how long should the Americans be expected to fund the war in Ukraine?

I will say that the Americans are not financing the war. The war in Ukraine mainly protects

freedom

and democracy throughout Europe and Ukraine is fighting and Ukraine is sending its best sons and daughters to the front and reduces the price for all of Europe for all of NATO. Reduces the price for everyone, including the United States as leaders in NATO oh US military. Now you don't have to fight to protect NATO countries, the Ukrainians are doing that and it's just the ammunition that the civilized world is providing and I think it is a good decision, that is why we need to maintain support while Ukraine There is no direct war between us or NATO and Russian aggression, so Ukraine is still fighting and Ukraine is

protecting

everyone else.

I think Russia can be turned around, what is the schedule? Well, it depends on when we have weapons on the ground, as you said, Christian, if we achieve it in half a year, well, we have had the process for half a year and We had losses in several directions, the losses in men in teams in the East, It was very difficult and we lost the initiative there. Now we have every chance to stabilize the situation and overcome the initiative and that is why we need to do it. If we have the weapons systems, when we have them in our arms, then we will have the opportunity to take this initiative and move forward and protect Ukraine, but giving them a specific timetable for the war, well, it depends on how soon we get there.

To get this help, there are so many variables, so many factors and sometimes when we protect the important line, you retreat because you don't have enough forces and equipment and then retaking the line would take two or three times as long. I'm not saying that this is how it will end, but things are possible and I can give you an example with the F16. The decision to supply F6 fighter jets to Ukraine is a great example. Oh, we had it a year ago, a year ago we got the positive response. Ukraine should receive these fighter aircraft so that not only air defense protects the sky, but we also have modern aircraft.

We still have no planes in Ukraine for a year, so it is very difficult to make any forecast. I would like us to do it. open and very, very specific from the moment we get our hands on these weapons systems, from that moment we can talk about the timeline, President Zinski, Ukrainian intelligence suggests that the Kremlin is preparing for a major offensive in the next few months, you said it yourself. Keep in mind that they are prepared to outnumber you 10 to one in firepower according to some estimates. Will you be ready for that offensive? We are preparing the personnel are preparing uh the soldiers are training and I don't want to repeat myself, but well, we are We are waiting for the weapons systems because we want to have the brigades

full

y equipped.

Some of them are sold out. We need to replace them, but these new brigades have to have the equipment. Russia wants to mobilize 300,000 people by June 1. We are preparing for this. By May 9, Russia hopes that in eastern Ukraine they will take the city of Chiv Yar. I visited the region recently. I spoke to the soldiers. Soldiers say they lack the equipment they need to fight Russian reconnaissance drones that essentially guide artillery. We need artillery shells. I hope that we can stay and the weapons will arrive in time and we will repel the enemy and then break the plans of the Russian Federation regarding this large-scale offensive.

I want to ask President Seninsky about reports of a lack of morale, some 650,000 men who are eligible to fight, we are told, have fled Ukraine, you have lowered the draft age but have resisted a

full

call from all Ukrainian men, what do you say? young men who do not want to fight who do not want to risk their lives in this war for their country this war is the war for the good of all of us this is our land we have nowhere else to go and The citizens of Ukraine understand that of course , there are people who do not want to and who are not prepared, but we have this mobilization campaign, we have conscription, we have a strong army and we can be frank in Russia, of course, they have more. people and people are forced to go there, so for example, if someone in Russia leaves the battlefield, they just shoot him on the spot, we can't do that because we have the democratic values, we live in the democratic country, so to be honest, in Ukraine you really have a There are a lot of people who are willing to protect the homeland, but of course the R motivation can decrease, especially when they go to the front and see that, well, there are no shells and no equipment , that's why the help from the states is very important and the people who were trained, well, they need to be trained by professional people and they need to have the equipment to be used, so that they have this equipment not only in the training field but also on the real battlefield and in fact they can show their performance on the front line this is a very important president morale will calm down and then they will defend the homeland The Washington Post reports that Donald Trump has said privately that he could end Russia's war in Ukraine putting pressure on Ukraine to give in some territory like Crimea, like the Donbas region, what is your reaction?

Realistically speaking, do you see this war ending in a negotiation with Russia? I would like to say that, oh, I am the president of a country at war and the rumors and different here say I don't think that when Trump comes here and tells me his peace formula then I can give him the answer right now. I know that the things they want for sure cannot happen and I am sure that people who know him well know that Putin can never be trusted, it is impossible, so the strategy to end the war should not be based on the words that Putin says or that other people say about him, but in something very specific, something very tangible and Ukraine. that is independent and democratic and I am sure that everyone is interested in the entire political elite in the US also being interested in Ukraine being dependent, sovereign and democratic.

It is of interest to both Republicans and Democrats, President Seninsky in the country. February Donald Trump encouraged Putin to invade NATO countries that he does not believe contribute enough to defense spending. What kind of message do you think that sends to the world? I don't know the details of that speech. I know for sure. Ukraine fails, then Putin, then Putin will definitely invade the Baltic, the Baltic countries, why not because there is some interesting strategic idea, but because Putin wants to return the influence of the Soviet Union and he really wants to take it back through Force to through the war?

He wants to resume everything before. The Soviet republics and now the independent states, whether they are in NATO or not, he does not care, that is why this is his strategy, of course, after the Baltic states, Poland and parts of Germany would have a vision general. Germany's top military official has warned that Putin could be ready to attack NATO countries in as little as 5 years, going by what you are saying, how big a threat do you see Putin to the West? I think he wants to go further, since I said he wants to restore the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc and they do it in terms of misinformation, they just direct different political groups in democracies, not only in Europe, in Latin America, in Africa , they have influence everywhere and they do this to divide the world, so the risk is high and I think this German diplomat said that it is not even about Putin's wish, but if Putin is not stopped, then Putin is ready to attack NATO, even if you look at the size of the army and weapons. that they have done it, so we have to be prepared to stop it now because there are frozen conflicts, well, we have seen it in Georgia and we have seen it in other countries, so if we give Putin the big break, if we freeze the war. where we are, this will allow him because his entire industry will begin to work not for the war in Ukraine, but for the war against NATO.

President Zinski, you are not just a president, you are also a father, you have survived multiple assassination attempts. Tens of thousands of your fellow citizens have been killed and injured. Millions have abandoned their homes. Have you ever lost hope? You can never lose hope. You can never lose hope. You can never lose. Freedom. You can never lose Independence. Otherwise you will simply lose everything. say that you lose the security of your children because, since all the children in Ukraine are my children, then I will lose everything and I have to set an example if I lose hope, well, my children would lose their future in the independent country and then we would lose to Ukraine since as a nation it is not just about the territory, it is about ourselves, our identity, so we cannot lose hope, we have had different moments, some were very cruel, there were challenging moments and I am sure that in the history of the United States there were also many moments in which the people of the United States had to fight for their independence.

We remember the Frankling period when well, many people lost hope, some people emigrated to France, but some people raised the flag. United States, the flag of independence. and some people were skeptical, on both sides of the ocean in Europe too, but people didn't give up and I think well, you got the independent country and the world got this great democracy, so we can't lose hope, none of both President Seninsky, thank you for being here this morning at the Monumental, we really appreciate your perspective and having the opportunity to speak with you. Thanks for watching. Stay up to date on the latest news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media.