Ukrainian chief fears the stream of money from Washington will cease, in keeping with Robert Fico
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is deeply involved about Donald Trump’s triumph within the US presidential election, fearing it might result in a suspension of army and monetary support from Washington to Kiev, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated.
In an interview with Radio Slovensko on Saturday, Fico mentioned how Trump’s insurance policies might affect international politics and the battle in Ukraine. The Prime Minister said that when he noticed Zelensky throughout the EU summit in Budapest, Hungary, on November 7, the Ukrainian chief appeared visibly shaken.
“Have you ever ever seen an individual who’s afraid that the battle will finish? I noticed him, and his identify is Vladimir Zelensky,” Fico informed the host, including that Zelensky appeared “shocked that Trump received and that there could possibly be a halt to help from america.”
All through the presidential marketing campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to finish the combating in Ukraine inside “24 hours,” with out specifying how he would obtain this. Fico argued that the combating won’t ever cease so long as the West continues to ship billions of {dollars} price of arms into the battle.
“Which means there will probably be some basic choices concerning the battle in Ukraine,” the Prime Minister defined. “He’s somebody who merely doesn’t like wars as such,” Fico remarked, reflecting on how Trump, as a businessman, “prefers” tariffs and sanctions to army confrontations and suggesting that the President-elect would take “decisive steps.”
If Washington cuts off financing to Kiev, the EU can even want to regulate its insurance policies and push for negotiations as an alternative of doubling down on arming Ukraine in hopes that Russia will ultimately lose.
“We’re once more appearing as a army cupboard in relation to Ukraine… Is the EU able to assume all the prices of the battle in Ukraine?” Fico puzzled.
“There’s nonetheless an opinion that if we preserve supporting Ukraine, we are going to deliver Russia to its knees, however that doesn’t work,” he argued, urging the bloc to acknowledge that this logic is flawed. “The EU is a peace undertaking, and the battle have to be stopped.”
European Union leaders mentioned in Budapest whether or not they can afford to proceed financing the Ukrainian army if Trump certainly decides to withdraw Washington’s assist for Kiev, Bloomberg reported on Friday. Nonetheless, in keeping with sources, slightly than cash, they’re extra involved about “the obtainable army assets which have come primarily from the US.”
In the meantime, Zelensky appeared extra involved concerning the cash as he demanded from the EU roughly $300 billion in frozen Russian sovereign property, if the US cuts him off, claiming the cash “rightfully belongs” to Ukraine. He additionally informed the summit that he didn’t but know Trump’s plans however that solely Kiev ought to “resolve what ought to and shouldn’t be on the agenda for ending this battle.”
