Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy is warning Americans who believe the United States is sending his country too much aid.
“I would like to thank all of the American people that are supporting Ukraine: the Congress, the president, the TV channels, the journalists, and everyone that has been supporting us,” Zelenskyy responded.
He added, “And that percentage of Americans… is increasing, I can tell them only one thing: If they do not change their opinion, if they do not understand us, if they do not support Ukraine, they will lose NATO, they will lose the clout of the United States, they will lose their leadership position that they are enjoying in the world.”
Watch the video below:
Zelensky is asked about opinion polls showing Americans think they're giving too much to Ukraine: “If they don’t change their opinion, if they don’t support Ukraine, they will lose NATO and they will lose their leadership position in the world.” pic.twitter.com/bNbB3kAbNx
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 24, 2023
As Ukraine’s effort to fend off Russia’s invasion enters its second year, there appears to be a growing sentiment the U.S. is sending too much aid. According to Pew Research, 7% of Americans believed Ukraine was getting too much support in March 2022. The number grew 26% as of January 2023.
Conservatives have a variety of reasons for opposing or being skeptical of aid to Ukraine.
Some have raised concerns about the reports the U.S. may run out of munitions to defend itself while supporting Ukraine. Others may have a philosophical opposition to foreign aid and especially foreign military assistance.
Still, other conservatives believe NATO provoked Russia to invade Ukraine by admitting more and more countries in eastern Europe. They also fear the conflict could spiral into continental-wide or worldwide war.
And still, other conservatives believe the war is distracting President Joe Biden from tackling issues such as the border or the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, or countering China.
Then there is the group who thinks the aid is prolonging the war and causing more unnecessary suffering and that Ukraine must end the war by agreeing to surrender parts of its territory to Russia.
Sure, Zelenskyy has his flaws. He is not perfect, and the Ukrainian government has a corruption problem. And Zelenskyy has made missteps that opponents of aid to Ukraine have used to question the severity of the war — such as his Vogue photo shoot.
Though Russia is no better. In the course of the war, it has repeatedly struck civilians. One estimate stated Russia had destroyed 200 schools in Ukraine. Ukraine’s prosecutor general has also previously spoken about the revelation of mass graves in towns recaptured from the Russians — and alleged there was evidence that some of the bodies in the graves had been subjected to torture.
Additionally, an independent study by the Conflict Observatory, part of the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab, found Russia has embarked on an effort to relocate thousands of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories and place them in re-education camps. It also accused Russia of engaging in the forced adoption of Ukrainian children.
Those are just a few of the reported horrors committed by Russia. The list can go on and on.
The U.S. and the rest of the West cannot grow tired of helping Ukraine fight off an unprovoked invasion. It would send the message that as long as a country can outlast the international community’s will, it can just take over another country just because it wants to.
Continuing to support Ukraine and ensure Russia pays a heavy cost — as it loses thousands of soldiers and degrades its military capabilities — should make other countries think twice about trying to roll over their neighbors and lead to a safe more stable world.
