Volodymyr Zelenskyy has brushed off the potential threat of US funding being withdrawn if Donald Trump wins this year’s presidential election.
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, the Ukrainian leader said “one man cannot change the whole nation”, but admitted stances taken by some in the Republican Party have raised concerns in his country.
Political infighting has delayed more military aid from the US, with Republicans resisting Democrat President Joe Biden‘s request to offer more support to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
And Mr Trump, who is the leading Republican presidential candidate, has declined to commit to continuing military assistance for Ukraine, and has said he could end the war “in 24 hours” if re-elected to the White House.
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In December last year, Mr Zelenskyy declined to answer when asked if a victory for Mr Trump would threaten the independence of his country.
But he said on Tuesday that “radical voices really scare the society in Ukraine”, not just from Mr Trump but also “the voices of a significant part of Republicans”.
Meanwhile, residents of more than two dozen villages in the Kharkiv region have been urged to evacuate on Tuesday because of worsening Russian attacks as the war nears its second anniversary.
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Mr Zelenskyy warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not stop” and said he “embodies war” as he criticised him for imposing “the terrifying feeling that the war may never end”.
“Anyone thinks this is only about us, this is only about Ukraine, they are fundamentally mistaken,” he added, in a bid to cast Ukraine as a pillar in defence of democracies.
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He said his “heart goes out to the people of Mykolaiv”, where a Sky News team is, as the city has faced “constant attacks”.
Asked if Ukraine can still win when allies like the UK and US continue to restrict its military from hitting targets within Russia, Mr Zelenskyy said his country needs outside support.
He said Ukraine would be “weak on the battlefield”, specifically in “artillery” and “air defence”.
