Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that his country was ready to spend up to $ 50 billion for more defenses and air aid.
Addressing local journalists, Zelenskyy has experienced such an agreement as a potential long-standing security arrangement with the United States instead of donating stock to kyiv.
“We pay the money accordingly. If you want it in a fund or if you want us to pay you directly, that doesn’t matter to us,” said Zelenskyy at a meeting with journalists.
He said that his team had already asked the United States specific systems and said they were open to a purchase.
“We have not asked for this future package for free. We are counting on this even as security guarantee,” he said.
Among its priorities were 10 air defense systems, such as the patriotic air surface missile system.
“It is protection, it will help us after the end of the war; it is a security guarantee ensuring that Ukraine is covered by air defense,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine is “ready to find even 30 or 50 billion dollars for the relevant package”.
Ukraine obtaining advanced American weapons systems for long -term use would make it a more traditional customer of the American military industry – which almost always requires and is delivered with a very rapprochement with Washington.
Zelenskyy’s suggestion occurs while the American-Ukrainian relationship is questioned, marked by the Mars Cris episode at the White House involving President Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance.
On the practical stadium, Trump sought Ukraine concessions to obtain assistance in the Biden administration. In February, he said he wanted to “conclude an agreement” with Ukraine “To secure what we give them with their rare earths and other things. “”
“I want them to give us something for all the money we put in place. We ask for rare earths and oil, everything we can get,” said Trump in February.
So far, the United States has given Ukraine around $ 70 billion in arms aid and $ 51 billion in financial aid, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Tracker said.
This makes Pentagon by far the largest individual donor of weapons aid in Ukraine, with Europe as a whole with around 54 billion dollars in data.
Meanwhile, European countries have promised $ 126 billion in additional military and financial aid for Ukraine when doubts linger on the United States’s commitment to support kyiv.
Zelenskyy previously rejected the idea of paying Ukrainian retroactively for weapons sent to the past.
“But if this question is raised in the mineral agreement, we will not take old debts,” said Zelenskyy in March. “If it is a new support, the United States can impose certain conditions.”
“We understand that this administration will do nothing for free,” he added.
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