Zelensky criticizes the West for the artificial deficit of weapons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized the West for what he described as an "artificial arms deficit".
Zelensky on Saturday warned Kiev's western allies led by the US that "keeping Ukraine in an artificial arms shortage, especially in the absence of artillery and long-range missiles, allows Russian President Vladimir Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war .” Zelensky, who on Friday signed separate 10-year bilateral security deals with France and Germany, urged Kiev's allies to increase their shipments of military supplies amid ammunition shortages and the recent withdrawal from the besieged town of Avdiivka in Donetsk region. He said Kiev forces were forced to withdraw from the hard-hit city fearing death as Russian troops surrounded it. Kiev sees the increased arms and ammunition shortages as linked to far-right Republicans in the US Congress, who see the war in Ukraine as a failed effort and want the White House to stop asking for more military shipments to Kiev. "If Ukraine is left alone, Russia will destroy us," President Zelensky said in an interview with CNN.
