Kyiv [Ukraine], March 5 (ANI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with Olaf Scholz, the outgoing German Chancellor and emphasized Ukraine‘s reliance on European unity and expressed gratitude for Germany‘s significant contributions to strengthening Ukraine‘s air shield, ultimately protecting thousands of lives.
“I spoke with @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz to have an honest conversation about various issues and our vision for the future security architecture. We rely on Europe’s unity around Ukraine and are working toward it,” posted Zelenskyy on X.
Zelenskyy reiterated his commitment to achieving a lasting peace, rather than a temporary ceasefire, and believes this goal is attainable through coordinated efforts and US leadership.
“We all want a safe future for our people. Not a temporary ceasefire, but an end to the war once and for all. With our coordinated efforts and U.S. leadership, this is entirely achievable,” added the Ukrainian President.
He also acknowledged the importance of expanding cooperation with Germany in areas like air shield protection.
“We will always remember Germany‘s contribution to strengthening Ukraine‘s air shield and, most importantly, to protecting thousands of lives. We see opportunities to expand our cooperation in this area. We will continue working on it. Thank you for your support.”
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1897273640292388940
This development comes on the heels of a contentious meeting between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, which ended without a clear resolution. Despite this, Zelenskyy remains optimistic about the prospects of securing a safe future for the Ukrainian people.
Meanwhile, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe said that the US stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported.
This could be a huge blow to Ukraine as it uses such intelligence to figure out where the Russian forces are and where the Russian air attacks are coming from, as per Al Jazeera.
Ratcliffe also said that, given the recent developments, they may start sharing intelligence again.
This stems from that unprecedented berating of Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday.
White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz says Trump “will take a hard look” at restoring aid to Ukraine “if we can nail down these negotiations and … put some confidence-building measures on the table”.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US government appropriated about USD 86bn to send to Ukraine in military aid from Congress and Department of Defense budgets, according to calculations made by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The money allocated by the US is primarily funding that goes into the manufacture of weapons shipped to Ukraine. These include air defence systems, missiles, helicopters, tanks, coastal defence systems and body armour, as per Al Jazeera. (ANI)
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