Zelenskyy Says Without U.S. Aid Ukraine Will Have to ‘Retreat’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that if the country does not get promised U.S. military aid, its forces will have to retreat “in small steps.”

“If there is no U.S. support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimetre artillery rounds,” Zelenskyy said. 

“It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps,” he said. “We are trying to find some way not to retreat.” 

Zelenskyy told House Speaker Mike Johnson in a telephone conversation on Thursday that approval of the package was vital.

“We used our drones. Nobody can say to us you can’t,” he said. If there is no air defense to protect our energy system and Russians attack it, my question is: Why can’t we answer them?” he said.

“Their society has to learn to live without petrol, without diesel, without electricity. When Russia will stop these steps, we will stop.”