Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky followed up his praise for the US House of Representatives' approval of a nearly $61 billion aid package with calls on a popular US Sunday morning news show for fast delivery of the aid.
Russia, on the other hand, continued its attacks on the US military assistance to the country it invaded in February 2022, saying the money will "be pocketed" and "tens of thousands of Ukrainians will go to the meat grinder."
Zelensky, speaking on the long-running NBC show "Meet the Press," also warned that if Ukraine loses the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek to recapture the many now independent states that were either part of the Soviet Union or in its sphere of influence.
"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.
The Ukrainian leader called for the rapid delivery of the US House-approved weapons: "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 "Meet the Press."
"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."
The Ukrainian president also told NBC that with the new package, his country "will have a chance for victory if Ukraine really gets the weapon system, which [it needs] so much."
"Some really crucial weapon systems which are hard to get ... I really appreciate that," he said.
He emphasized that Ukraine especially needs longer-range missiles. The US House-passed bill includes the delivery of long-range ATACMS missile systems. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine needs such weapons in order to lose fewer forces on the front line. His country also needs air defence. "These are the priorities now."
Ukraine is also expecting US F16 fighter jets. The aim of the leadership in Kiev is to regain sovereignty over its own airspace.
Russia, on the other hand, said the US aid package is a waste of US taxpayer money as the funds will be eaten up by Ukrainian corruption and result in more deaths there.
Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Dmitry Polyanskiy, wrote on Sunday that there is "nothing to celebrate here."
He wrote that the war would continue and "more money will be pocketed, more weapons stolen and tens of thousands of Ukrainians will go to the meat grinder." He added that Ukraine's defeat was "inevitable."
Ukraine, which is striving to join the European Union and NATO, has been defending itself against a Russian invasion with massive Western support for more than two years.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Facebook that around $50 billion of the package would be spent on Ukraine's defence. This means more weapons for Ukraine, including more air defence and longer-range projectiles.
Another $7.8 billion is earmarked to support Ukraine's national budget. In turn, $1.57 billion is planned as economic aid and $400 million for border protection and demining, according to Shmyhal.
The money will also be used to finance the restoration of important infrastructure, he said. The country's energy facilities have frequently been targets of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on X, formerly Twitter, about the US decision that it was "a bad day for Putin" and "for anyone who dared to believe that America could waver when it comes to defending what and who it stands for."
Western military experts expect a boost in Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine in the coming weeks before the fresh US military aid actually arrives.
"Russian forces will likely intensify ongoing offensive operations and missile and drone strikes in the coming weeks in order to exploit the closing window of Ukrainian materiel constraints," according to an analysis by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington.
But ISW experts stated on Saturday that the Russians have so far only achieved isolated tactical successes in offensive operations and no breakthrough on the front line.
