Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for the rapid delivery of weapons to his country following the approval in the US House of Representatives of a new aid package for his embattled land.
"Now we have the chance to stabilize the situation and to [take] the initiative, and that’s why we need to actually have the weapons systems," Zelensky told US broadcaster NBC on Sunday.
"When we get them ... then we do have the chance to take this initiative and to move ahead to protect Ukraine."
The Ukrainian president did not want to give "a specific timeline of the war" when asked as there were "too many factors."
However, he once again issued an urgent warning about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"If Ukraine fails, then Putin definitely will invade the Baltic countries," said Zelensky. "Putin wants to return the influence of the Soviet Union and he really wants to retake all the former Soviet republics that are now independent states; Whether they are in NATO or not, he doesn't care."
Zelensky also mentioned Poland and parts of Germany, but was then interrupted by the presenter, who asked him how big a threat he thought Putin posed to the West: "I think he does want to go further. He wants to reinstate the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc," he said.
On Saturday, the US House of Representatives approved an aid package of almost $61 billion with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, which also includes urgently needed arms supplies for defence against Russia.
The necessary approval of the Senate is considered certain. The text also calls for the delivery of long-range ATACMS missile systems.
