Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska warns that the people of Ukraine are at risk of dying if Western countries do not continue to financially support the country. She says so in an interview with the BBC that will be broadcast on Sunday.
– If the outside world gets tired, we are simply left to die, says Zelenska.
The interview was made in connection with last week’s announcement that the Republicans in the US Senate are temporarily blocking President Biden’s support package for Ukraine. According to Olena Zelenska, the support of the West is vital for Ukraine.
– We really need help. Simply put – we can’t get enough of this situation. If we do that, we will die, she says in the interview.
Pressure on Congress
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak has also commented on the situation. He believes that there is a “great risk” of a Ukrainian defeat in the war without American support.
– It will be difficult to maintain the same position and for our people to survive, Andriy Yermak said in a speech at the American Institute of Peace in Washington DC on Tuesday.
Before the end of the year, the US Congress needs to decide whether to continue the economic and military aid – or not.
“We are out of money and almost out of time,” White House Budget Director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to representatives of both Republicans and Democrats earlier this week.
President Joe Biden believes that $106 billion is needed in emergency funding for efforts in Ukraine, something that the Republicans now oppose.