Minister fired by Zelensky says West gave Ukraine $100bn in military aid
The Ukrainian defense minister, fired on Sunday night by President Volodymyr Zelensky, says Western allies have already provided Kiev with military aid worth about US$100 billion since the start of the Russian operation in the war-torn country.
Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with Ukrinform news agency on the same day that the money is spent on weapons and military equipment.
“If we calculate and evaluate all the aid packages today, I think we have already received about US$100 billion” during the full-scale military campaign, Reznikov said.
“We have received over US$100 billion in various weapons and equipment, rounds of ammunition, shells, and shots. From the United States alone, we received more than US$50 billion, approaching US$60 billion,” he added.
The defense minister went on to say that if the amount is multiplied by Ukraine’s national currency exchange rate, it will be equivalent to trillions of hryvnias.
Zelensky, citing the need for “new approaches” as the war with Russia enters its 19th month, said he has decided to replace Reznikov with Rustem Umerov, the former people’s deputy of Ukraine.
“This week, parliament will be asked to make a personnel decision … I have decided to replace the minister of defense of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of full-scale war,” Zelensky said.
The latest development comes as Western officials have criticized Kiev over the past weeks for failing to deliver on its promises of victory on the battlefield despite receiving ten-of-billions of dollars worth of weapons and munitions and just asking for more.
Kiev launched its hugely publicized counteroffensive against Russian troops in June but failed to pass the Russian defense lines and switched instead to causing disruption deep inside Russia by launching drone and missile attacks on the capital city Moscow and elsewhere.
Some Western officials have come to see the support for Ukraine as their loss and a distraction from their own domestic problems.
The West has supplied Ukraine with various weaponry since the onset of the Russian military campaign in February 2022.
Russia has frequently warned that the continued supply of Western weapons and munitions to the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war, add to losses, and exacerbate the sufferings of the Ukrainian nation.
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