(Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Friday that Ukraine’s troops will have to be withdrawn “little by little” if Ukraine does not secure commitments for U.S. military aid that were blocked in a dispute in Congress. He said there is.
“Without U.S. support, that means no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jammers, no 155-millimeter artillery shells,” Zelenskiy told the Washington Post.
“It means we take one step at a time, one small step at a time, backing up and moving back,” he said. “We’re trying to find a way to not go backwards.”
He said the shortage of munitions “means we have to do less. How? To retreat, of course. Shorten the front. If it breaks, the Russians can go to the big cities.” I guess so.”
Democratic President Joe Biden has urged the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives to support the military and financial aid package, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has held off on the issue for months, citing domestic priorities. Ta.
Mr Zelenskiy told Mr Johnson in a telephone conversation on Thursday that approval of the package was essential.
Russian forces captured the eastern town of Avdiivka last month and have made modest gains since then, but the front has remained largely unchanged in recent months.
Ukraine’s president said in an interview that Ukraine is making up for the lack of missiles with indigenous weapons and air defense systems, “but it’s not enough.”
More than two years into the war, Russia has stepped up attacks on energy and other infrastructure in recent weeks. Ukrainian forces have been unable to advance, and Zelenskiy said Kiev intends to pursue attacks on targets inside Russia, including oil refineries.
He said the U.S. response to Ukraine’s series of attacks was “not positive,” but Kiev was using its own drones.
“We used drones. No one can tell us no,” he told the newspaper. “If we don’t have air defense to protect our energy system and the Russians attack it, my question is why can’t we answer to them?” he said.
“Their society has to learn to live without gasoline, diesel and electricity. If Russia stops these measures, so will we.”
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Bill Berkrot and David Gregorio)
