Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States on Thursday for the release of a new tranche of military aid the day before, urging his precious ally to maintain this “essential” assistance, the future of which seems increasingly uncertain.
Washington granted Kiev an envelope of $250 million on Wednesday, including munitions, which the country needs, and air defense systems to deal with attacks from Russia.
For Ukraine, however, this good news leaves a bitter aftertaste, because it is the last tranche available without a new vote in the American Congress, which for the moment refuses to allocate more money.
“I thank President Joe Biden, Congress and the American people,” Volodymyr Zelensky reacted Thursday on X (ex-Twitter), judging that this aid would cover “Ukraine’s most pressing needs.”
I thank @POTUS Joe Biden, Congress, and the American people for the $250 million military aid package announced yesterday.
Additional air defense missiles and components, anti-tank weapons, ammunition, mine clearing, and other equipment will cover Ukraine’s most pressing needs.…— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 28, 2023
“American leadership” among kyiv’s allies plays a “critical role in fighting terror and aggression,” he praised.
“To defend freedom and security in Ukraine, in Europe, but also in the United States, we must continue to respond firmly and resolutely to Russian aggression,” concluded the president.
After a disappointing 2023 for Ukraine, whose major counter-offensive did not give the hoped-for results on the front, kyiv fears disengagement from Western countries.
In Washington, but also in Europe, the idea of unconditional support has cracked, weakened by political divisions on the very salty issue of military aid.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s allies nevertheless continue to proclaim that they will not abandon him.
The American ambassador to the country, Bridget Brink, recalled Thursday that “financial needs to help Ukraine defend itself remain critical and urgent.”