"Europe will probably not be able to provide financial and military support to Ukraine if the US significantly reduces its aid," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with German television channel ARD.
Zelensky's comments come at a time when U.S. aid has effectively been suspended due to congressional gridlock, mainly over domestic political issues unrelated to Ukraine. Fears of reducing or even cutting off US aid have intensified since former President Donald Trump's landslide victory in the Republican primaries.
Trump earlier hinted he would cut aid to Ukraine if elected and said his main focus would be to secure an immediate ceasefire with Russia within 24 hours, without specifying what terms the proposed peace would be under. agreement.
Zelensky's concerns were echoed by other Ukrainian leaders, such as Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who earlier in January said there was no "plan B" if US aid was cut.
At the same time, both Zelensky and Kuleba said they did not think there would be such a drastic reduction in US support for Ukraine even if Trump was elected.
The Ukrainian president said there are people in the Republican Party who are not so supportive of Ukraine and who would like the U.S. to have a smaller role in the war, but those people are a minority.
"Therefore, it is unlikely that US policy will depend on just one person," Zelensky said.
"I really don't believe that," he added. "Or I don't want to believe it".
Even if a united Europe manages to provide sufficient support to Ukraine, the loss of the US would be a "very bad signal".
The US has significant influence over Ukraine's allies, including in the imposition of sanctions against Russia, and Zelensky warned that a US absence in this area could lead to a "disintegration" of the sanctions policy.
"This would be a signal that Europe will be left alone to oppose Russia," the Ukrainian head of state added.
If such a situation were to arise, Zelensky said he would like Germany to take a bigger role in uniting the union of countries that support Ukraine.
"Germany may succeed in consolidating the EU," he said.
"But I still think that this threat is very big. Because it is a signal that is not good. Passivity or lack of support from the US is not good," said the Ukrainian leader./BGNES
