Continued U.S. financial support to Ukraine for its fight against Russia will also work as a check on further global aggression by Vladimir Putin, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argues.
In a CBS News interview that aired Sunday on "60 Minutes," Zelenskyy was pressed on the need for the United States to continue sending billions of dollars to fund Ukraine's war effort — and responded he was "grateful" for it.
"I just think they're not only supporting Ukraine. If Ukraine falls, Putin will surely go further," he asserted.
Zelenskyy added he expects that financial support to continue because of the high stakes.
"What will the United States of America do when Putin reaches the Baltic states? When he reaches the Polish border? He will," Zelenskyy said.
"This is a lot of money, we have a lot of gratitude," he continued. "What else must Ukraine do for everyone to measure our huge gratitude? We are dying in this war."
Zelenskyy then asked: "Look, if Ukraine falls, what will happen in 10 years? Just think about it. If [the Russians] reach Poland, what's next? A Third World War?"
But the Ukraine leader said he didn't know just how many more billions of dollars it would take to prevent an escalation of Moscow's aggression.
"The whole world [has to] decide whether we want to stop Putin, or whether we want to start the beginning of a world war," Zelenskyy said.
"We can't change Putin. Russian society has [lost] the respect of the world. They elected him, and reelected him and raised a second Hitler. They did this.
"We cannot go back in time, but we can stop it here."
In August, the Biden administration sent a supplemental funding request to Congress including $24 billion in additional military and financial aid for Ukraine.
It included around $13 billion in defense funds to assist Ukraine, $9.5 billion for equipment and replenishment of Pentagon stocks and $3.6 billion for continued military, intelligence and other defense support, The Hill noted.
But the money flow is getting increasing pushback from House Republicans, some of whom have been skeptical about continuing approval for the aid.
Zelenskyy is expected to visit the White House — his second trip there — on Thursday; President Joe Biden has repeatedly vowed the United States will stand with Kyiv "for as long as it takes" for a victory in the war.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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