KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his unwavering determination to continue the fight against Russia in a speech released on Sunday. This comes a day after the U.S. Congress passed a funding bill which did not include aid to Ukraine.
In a separate development, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that he had received assurances about further military assistance during a phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
On the platform formerly known as Twitter, Umerov wrote, “Secretary Austin assured me”, using flag emojis instead of country names, that U.S. support for Ukraine “will continue” and that Ukrainian forces “will continue to have a strong back-up on the battlefield.”
The Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that Kyiv is working with its American partners to ensure that the new budget decision will include funds for the country. Additionally, they reassured that U.S. support for Ukraine remains intact.
Although Zelenskiy did not directly mention the vote in Congress in his recorded speech for the Defenders Day holiday, he reaffirmed his commitment to fight for victory.
He emphasized that Ukraine’s stability, endurance, strength, and courage cannot be diminished, using a Ukrainian verb often associated with power outages caused by Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy further stated that Ukraine will only cease its resistance and fight on the day of victory. He proclaimed, “As we draw closer to it every day, we say, ‘We will fight for as long as it takes.'”
Promisingly, U.S. President Joe Biden assured that Republicans have pledged to provide aid to Ukraine through a separate vote. He emphasized that U.S. support for Ukraine cannot be interrupted “under any circumstances.”
Moreover, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, took to Facebook to reassure Ukrainians about future U.S. support. He emphasized that previously approved funds will not be affected.
In his post, Nikolenko emphasized that support for Ukraine remains steadfast within the U.S. administration, both political parties, both chambers of Congress, and most importantly, among the American people.
Reported by Elaine Monaghan in Washington, Pavlo Polityuk in Kyiv, and Maria Starkova in Lviv; Edited by Emelia Sithole-Matarise
Credit: The Star : News Feed
