In mid-April, US Vice President JD Vance stated that one of the actions of the current administration that he is most proud of is that the US has stopped paying for weapons for Ukraine and has told Europe that if it wants, it can buy weapons for Kiev.
“That's one of the things we've done during this administration that I'm most proud of, is that we told Europe that if it wants to buy weapons, it can, but the U.S. is no longer buying weapons and sending them to Ukraine,” Vance said.
Newsmax asked Zelenskiy about Vance's statement. — I disagree with the vice president. We are open. We are not enemies. Russia is an enemy (…) and will always be an enemy of the USA. (…) They are not allies. And if the vice president is proud of not helping us, it means he is helping the Russians. And I don't think it strengthens the US, Zelensky said.
“It doesn't work like that with Russia”
— Maybe the vice president wanted to say that it would speed up peace if the US didn't help us with weapons. But it doesn't work like that with Russia, Russia doesn't accept weakness, he added.
After coming to power, the Donald Trump administration suspended new military support for Ukraine. However, the Americans still help the Ukrainians with intelligence. Under the PURL program, allies finance the purchase of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine from American stockpiles.
Zelensky was also asked whether Washington asked Kiev to ask Ukrainians to stop attacking refineries and energy infrastructure in Russia in connection with the war with Iran.
— We have received messages from partners that perhaps due to this challenge in the Middle East, we should not attack certain infrastructure, energy infrastructure in Russia. Of course I said: no, we will respond (to Russian attacks). Let's establish an energy truce. But no one proposed it. (…) We are open to it. But if Russia attacks us, we will respond in any way, replied the Ukrainian president.
Volodymyr Zelensky: that's the problem
He confirmed that Ukraine had sent support to certain countries in the Middle East and said that “some institutions in the US” had also requested such support. “Of course, we are partners and we decided to do it, including (involving) American bases,” he added.
— I think we helped the US. If the US thinks they didn't ask us, that's fine, Zelensky said. He also admitted that Washington's focus on the Middle East weakens the pressure on Moscow. —The problem is that the U.S. priority has now shifted to the Middle East. I am afraid that if we only have talks, Russia will not feel the most important thing that America can give us: pressure, the president emphasized.
