Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the crucial US aid package to Ukraine “sends a powerful signal” that his country “will not be the second Afghanistan.”
After months of gridlock, Democrats and Republicans came together in the US House of Representatives. approve package – worth $60.8bn (£49bn) – to help Ukraine defend against the Russian invasion.
Speaking on the NBC news program Meet The Press, Mr. Zelensky He called the aid “a show of American leadership.”
“This aid will strengthen Ukraine and send a powerful signal to the Kremlin that it will not be the second Afghanistan,” he said.
“The United States will stand with Ukraine, protect Ukrainians and democracy.
“We have been waiting for half a year. Now we have reached this important moment and this positive vote.”
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Moment when the United States approved $60.8 billion in aid to Ukraine
The aid package will now move to the US Senate, where it is expected to be approved on Tuesday.
During the months of delays, some Republicans criticized the aid proposal and argued that the United States should focus on its own southern border rather than European ones.
When asked about the opposition, Zelenskyy said: “The Americans do not finance the war.. They, above all, protect freedom and democracy throughout Europe.
“Ukraine fights and sends its sons and daughters to the front. This reduces the price for all of Europe, NATO and the United States.
“The US military doesn’t have to fight to protect NATO countries; the Ukrainians are doing that. It’s just the ammunition it (aid) provides.”
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Zelenskyy reacts “grateful” to US aid
“We will have a chance to win”
Addressing how the money will be used, Zelenskyy said he hopes to get “tangible assistance to soldiers on the front lines as soon as possible.”
“We will have a chance of victory if Ukraine really gets the weapons system we so badly need,” he said. “This support will really strengthen the military.”
Ukraine’s priorities are long-range artillery and air defenses, Zelenskyy added.
The US House of Representatives’ decision to approve the aid was praised by UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, who called the funding “a vital step forward”.
“If Putin ever doubted the West’s determination to back Ukraine, this shows that our collective will not be affected,” he wrote in X.
“With support, Ukraine can and will win.”