Zelensky Asks U.S. For More Weapons

(LibertySociety.com) – During a speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his case for receiving more support from the United States and European countries to help defeat Russia. He argued that the war-torn country had proven that it could stave off Russia but said that “keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficit of weapons” had given Russian President Vladimir Putin the ability to adapt. Zelenskyy’s comments came just hours after it was announced that Ukrainian troops would be withdrawn from the city of Avdiivka, which lies in Eastern Ukraine.

Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had depleted its army in the city over the last five months by using all its power against Ukraine. However, he said that the decision to remove Ukrainian soldiers was to spare their lives due to a lack of weaponry. The previous day, Zelenskyy visited Berlin, Germany, and Paris, France, to sign defense deals with the two NATO countries. The first such agreement came last month with the United Kingdom, along with a reiteration of its support for Ukraine joining NATO. Following the German deal, one local media outlet referred to the agreements as “NATO light.”

All three deals came with a promise to support Ukraine for the next 10 years. The separate deals are reportedly due to differences between the types and levels of support that each country wishes to provide. Zelenskyy thanked the United States during his Munich speech but said that he would be meeting with senators to argue that the only way to defeat Russia was for all of the allied countries to unite together in support of Ukraine.

As of now, the $95 billion foreign aid package, which includes $60 billion for Ukraine, is stalled in the lower chamber. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., recently said that the bill would never be brought for a full vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., snidely encouraged Speaker Johnson to bring the bill to a vote in a February 25 letter to lawmakers. He claimed that Johnson was holding up the bill due to his alleged obedience to former President Trump.