Zelensky warns Ukraine faces defeat if US funding is withdrawn

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky informed Fox News late on Tuesday that the nation would lose the conflict if Washington, its primary military supporter, ceased its financial contributions. The Ukrainian leader stated it would be “very dangerous if we lose unity in Europe, and what is most important is unity between Ukraine and the United States”. US President-elect Donald Trump has campaigned on a commitment to end American involvement in wars and instead allocate taxpayers’ money to improve the lives of Americans. He has declared he will bring the Russia-Ukraine war to a conclusion within 24 hours, without specifying how. “If they will cut, I think we will lose,” Zelensky told Fox News. He added, “Of course anyway we will stay, we will fight, we have our production but it is not enough to prevail and it think it is not enough to survive.” When asked if Trump could influence Putin to end the war, Zelensky responded: “It will not be simple but yes he can because he is stronger than Putin.” He continued, “Putin is weaker than the United States. The President of the United States has the strength, authority and weapons, and he can decrease the price of energy resources.” Many Republicans desire an end to US taxpayer funding for Ukraine. Senator JD Vance, who is slated to be Trump’s vice-president, has consistently voiced objections to providing arms to Ukraine, asserting that the US lacks the necessary manufacturing capacity. Earlier this year, he told the Munich Security Conference that Europe should acknowledge the US’s need to “pivot” its focus towards East Asia. This sentiment is also shared by numerous voters, with 62% of Republicans indicating in a Pew Research poll that the US had no responsibility to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. On Tuesday, Ukraine utilized US-supplied longer-range missiles against Russian territory for the first time, a day after receiving US permission for their use. US President Joe Biden has also agreed to supply Ukraine with anti-personnel land mines, a US defense official informed the BBC. However, Zelensky noted that Ukraine was enduring a “very difficult period” on the battlefield. The Russian military is accelerating its advances along the front line, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Its analysis revealed that Russian forces seized six times more territory in 2024 than in the previous year. Based on confirmed social media footage and reports of troop movements, the ISW reported that Moscow’s forces have captured approximately 2,700 sq km of Ukrainian territory so far this year, in contrast to just 465 sq km throughout 2023. Ukraine’s unexpected incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is faltering as Russian troops have repelled Kyiv’s offensive. Zelensky also delivered harsh criticism towards German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for speaking with Putin on the phone last week. He told Fox News that this act was a “Pandora’s box” because Putin’s isolation would intensify the pressure on him.