Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning that his country will likely lose its war with Russia without U.S. military support.
Ukraine has increased its military defense production since Russia launched its full-scale invasion but has a “low chance” of survival if the U.S. cuts support under President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said Friday in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“It will be very, very, very difficult,” he said in the interview with Kristen Welker scheduled to air Sunday. “And, of course, in all the difficult situations, you have a chance. But we will have a low chance — low chance to survive without support of the United States.”
His grim prognosis comes as the conflict appears to be entering a new phase, with Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth talking this week about negotiating an end to the conflict on terms favorable to Russia.
Zelenskyy met Friday with Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference after saying his country wants security guarantees before any talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The U.S. has provided billions in military assistance to Ukraine, in addition to rallying other allies to do the same and imposing punishing sanctions on Russia. But that aid is expected to drop off as Trump pushes for an end to the war, though the president has said more support could be forthcoming in exchange for a share of the country’s rare earth minerals.
Trump this week launched a fresh push to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion, with a nearly 90-minute phone call to Putin on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, who has long demanded a “just peace” for Ukraine with robust security guarantees from Kyiv’s allies to prevent a future invasion, said Friday that he believed the Kremlin would use a halt in hostilities to “pause, prepare, train” and launch another attack in a few years’ time.
