Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he needs European financial support to fight Russia for another two or three years as the war continues to rage.
“I emphasized this again to all European leaders. I told them that we are not going to fight for decades, but you must show that for some time you will be able to provide stable financial support to Ukraine,” Zelensky said, according to AFP.
“And that is why they have this program in mind – two to three years,” he added, referring to an EU plan to fund Ukraine for a few years using frozen Russian assets. Zelensky said the funds would either be spent on reconstruction or on more weapons.
“If the war ends in a month, we will spend this money on recovery. If it does not end in a month, but after some time, then we will spend it on weapons. We simply have no other choice,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Under a new NATO scheme, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) initiative, the US’s European allies are committing to purchase American-made weapons for Ukraine, though military aid to the country has dropped significantly since the program was launched, according to a report from the Kiel Institute.
Zelensky also acknowledged on Tuesday that Russian troops have entered the city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast, which Russian forces have been pushing towards for months. “Around 200 Russians are located there in various places – we see this from drones. Pokrovsk is currently the main target for the Russians,” he said.
A day earlier, Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would expand its attacks inside Russia with a focus on oil refineries. While the US hasn’t committed to providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, it has recently expanded support for long-range strikes by providing intelligence for attacks inside Russia, according to media reports.
