Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that a loss to Russia could ultimately force the U.S. to choose between the “collapse of NATO” or going to war.
“If Ukraine would lose, if Russia would occupy Ukraine, Russia will continue going towards Baltic countries, Poland, etcetera,” Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News. “And they will start war with one of the NATO countries, and at this moment, the U.S. would have to choose the collapse of NATO or go to war.”
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all members of NATO, as is Poland. An attack on any member of the alliance is “considered an attack against them all” under the treaty organization’s principle of collective defense.
Zelensky brought up the possibility of NATO involvement in response to the suggestion from some Republican politicians that the U.S. needs to limit its spending on the war in Ukraine.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a 2024 Republican presidential candidate — previously described the war as a “territorial dispute,” while arguing that the U.S. should not become “further entangled” in the conflict. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) also warned last fall that a Republican majority in the House would not write a “blank check” to Ukraine for aid.
“Is any candidate or senator who thinks it costs too much for the United States to support Ukraine, is he ready to go to war, to fight, to send his kids,” Zelensky said Thursday, adding, “Because anyway, they will have to do this if NATO gets involved.”
“It’s not Ukraine against Russia,” he said. “Russia is fighting against the civilized world.”
The U.S. and its allies have continued to supply Kyiv with increasingly advanced weaponry, as the war against Russia has dragged on for more than a year. Last month, President Biden reversed course on his refusal to discuss F-16 fighter jets, saying the U.S. would support an international coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on the jets.
Zelensky, who has long sought fighter jets, said in Thursday’s interview that the drawn-out process of obtaining such advanced military equipment has “prolonged the war.”
“If we are supplied with the machinery that is currently held by our partners, we will win faster,” he added.
However, he appeared confident that his country’s latest counteroffensive, which has finally gotten underway after months of speculation, could ultimately lead to Russia’s loss if successful.
“Our heroic people, our troops who are now at the front of the front line, are facing very tough resistance,” he told NBC News. “And you understand why. Because for Russia to lose this campaign to Ukraine, I would say, actually means losing the war.”