Ukrainian forces are getting pummeled by the Russians because arms shipments from Western allies have been trickling in too slowly and too late, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
About half of Ukraine’s brigades in the east are not properly equipped, allowing Russia to gain ground in the region more than two and a half years after Putin’s forces invaded the country, Zelensky said during an interview with CNN — calling the situation “very tough.
“So you lose a lot of people. You lose people because they are not in armed vehicles,” he told the network. “We need 14 brigades to be ready. Until now … from these packages we didn’t equip even four.”
The US and Ukraine’s European allies have vowed to keep supplying Kyiv as it continues to fend off the Russian invasion — but Zelensky said the weapons are arriving two slowly.
His plea comes as the US continues to work on a “substantial” new package to aid Ukraine, White House security adviser Jake Sullivan said over the weekend.
Zelensky is expected to meet with President Biden this month.
But Russian jets are now striking more than 300 miles into Ukraine, raising concerns of a possible turn in the fighting, as Zelensky also pushes Biden to allow his troops to use long-range weapons.
Russia warned over the weekend that the conflict could escalate dangerously if the US approves the request — perhaps even including Moscow’s use of nuclear weapons in the war, a Putin crony said.
Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the two sides have since been locked in back-and-forth combat.
Military supplies and other aid from the US and Western allies have allowed Ukraine to stave off a total Russian invasion, but Zelensky has warned that the arms are vital to his country’s survival.
With Post wires
