Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted his country “can’t win” its war against Russia without US support.
In a candid moment Monday, Zelensky underscored the importance of American military weapons to defend his country’s airspace and fight the Russians on the battlefield.
“If we are speaking [about], can we win without American support, no,” Zelensky told Fox News’ Bret Baier on “Special Report.”
“Without American support, we can’t defend the sky. Even now, it’s very difficult,” he said. “American support with missiles for air defense is really helpful and strong. In any case, Russia uses hundreds, you see, hundreds and 1000s of drones and missiles.
“Of course, we can’t win.”
While President Trump has strongly opposed the bipartisan military aid packages his predecessor greenlit for Ukraine, his administration has sold critical firepower to Kyiv.
Additionally, the US has provided Ukraine with crucial l intelligence support and implemented crippling sanctions against Russia.
Zelensky stressed that Russia isn’t actually winning the war despite controlling nearly a fifth of his country now and slowly making gains on the battlefield in recent weeks.
“When Russia is occupying about 3,000 kilometers per year these last two years, it’s understandable that it looks that we are not winning,” the Ukrainian leader said. “It’s not [a] real fact.
“The fact [is that] the price of these 3,000 kilometers for this year — the price was 400,000 people, Russian soldiers. Now Russia loses 41,000 soldiers killed per month.”
Zelensky cited video confirmation of Russian deaths that the Ukrainians have gotten from their drones.
Zelensky, who met with Trump at the president’s Florida compound Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to iron out details of Ukraine’s 20-point peace plan, meanwhile disputed Trump’s assessment that Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin wants peace and ultimately for Ukraine to recover and thrive.
Zelensky looked visibly uncomfortable when Trump made the assertion at a post-summit press conference featuring the Ukraine and US leaders.
He raised his eyebrows at the time and later chuckled when the president admitted that it may seem like a strange take.
“I don’t trust Putin, and he doesn’t want success for Ukraine,” Zelensky told Fox. “I believe that he can say such words to President Trump. I believe … that he can say [that], but it’s, it’s not, it’s not true.”
But the Ukrainian leader said the Russians “have to give us money” to help with reconstruction after the war concludes.
He also warned that Putin has been openly talking about how Russia can go further and hasn’t been sending the “signals of peace.”
“That’s why, of course, we need dialogue and pressure from President Trump,” Zelensky said. “He has some instruments … [and] I think, that he’s … trying to bring peace.”
