The wife of Ukraine’s president, Olena Zelenska, warned that if Western financial aid ends, Ukrainians will face “deadly danger,” according to an interview excerpt released Saturday by British broadcaster BBC.
“When the world gets tired, they will just let us die,” Olena Zelenska said, after Republicans in the United States Senate blocked a $60 billion (€55 billion) aid package for Ukraine.
The wife of President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an interview to the British television channel, which will be released in full on Sunday.
“We really need help. In simple words, we cannot get tired of this situation because if we do, we will die,” Zelensky’s wife said.
“It pains us immensely to see signs that the passionate desire to help could disappear,” the Ukrainian first lady lamented, adding that for Kiev it is a “matter of life.” [ou morte]”.
The interview was recorded after Republicans blocked passage in the US Senate on Wednesday of a budget bill worth about $105 billion (about 97.5 billion euros), which included aid for Ukraine and Israel.
The Republican veto threatens to leave Kiev without enough weapons to continue defending itself against Russia, experts said.
On Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the war in Ukraine could last until 2025 and assured that aid to that country would continue and could even increase.
“This war is probably not going to end as quickly as we would like,” Scholz said during a speech at the Social Democratic Party conference, which started on Friday, in Belrim.
For example, the official said it is necessary to continue supporting Ukraine “this year, the next and the year after that.”
Despite admitting that this aid represents “a major financial challenge” for the country, he vowed to continue supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia, with financial resources and weapons.
Scholz reminded that Germany is the second country that contributes the most to supporting Ukraine, after the United States.
“If other states falter, our contribution may have to be even greater,” he stressed.
The coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals, led by Scholz, is facing a budget crisis following a Constitutional Court ruling that left a 17 billion euro hole in the 2024 budget.
However, Scholz assured that aid to Ukraine will not be reduced.
Source: DN
