Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s refusal to support military aid for Ukraine is actually helping Russia. He warned that the U.S. focus on the Middle East has reduced pressure on Moscow and could make the war last longer.
Zelenskyy said in an exclusive interview with Newsmax’s Shelby Wilder, held at the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant and aired on Wednesday.
He said, “If the vice president is proud that he is not helping us, it means he is helping Russians.” He added, “And I’m not sure that it’s strengthening the United States.”
The remarks were in response to a question from Wilder about the sharp drop in U.S. support for Ukraine in 2025 and Vance’s statement that he’s most proud of ending military aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy disagreed with Vance’s position.
“I don’t agree with the vice president,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are open and not enemies. Russia is the enemy, and they are close, and they will always be enemies with the United States — cold war, hot war, no war, but they are not allies. To have Russians as friends, I’m not sure that is a strong position.”
Zelenskyy told Newsmax that while U.S. weapons continue to arrive and he is grateful for them, the easing of economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia — especially the relaxation of oil sanctions linked to the Middle East conflict — is helping the Kremlin keep up its war effort.
“The United States can apply more sanctions, but they now lift them, yes, because of the Middle East, and we feel this,” he said.
“Russia doesn’t feel the pressure, and for them it’s okay to keep going this way.”
Zelenskyy expressed hope that the administration would reverse its stance.
“I hope that America will bring back all the sanctions,” he said. He added that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had suggested the sanction relief was temporary. “I hope they will put it again.”
He also said Ukraine has resisted pressure from unnamed partners to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, even though global energy concerns are linked to the Middle East situation.
“Nobody proposed an energy ceasefire to us,” he said. “We are open for this, but if Russia attacks us, we will respond in any way.”
Despite the challenges, Zelenskyy offered a relatively confident assessment of Ukraine’s military situation.
“They are not in a strong position, Russia. They are not winning,” he said. “We are in the best position in the last 9–10 months, about the battlefield — but in any way, it’s better to stop the war.”
However, he emphasized that military progress alone isn’t enough without continued political and economic pressure from the U.S. “I’m afraid that if we just have talks, Russia will not feel the most important thing that America can give us — pressure on them,” he said.
“Russia doesn’t respect weakness.”
Zelenskyy also revealed that Ukraine has provided support to countries outside Europe at the request of the U.S., including to American military bases.
He did not give specific details. “Some different institutions in the United States also asked us to support, and of course, we are partners, and we decided to do it,” he said. “If the United States thinks they didn’t ask us, OK.”
Throughout the interview, Zelenskyy argued that supporting Ukraine is in America’s own strategic interest, not just an act of charity.
“Our union between the United States and Ukraine is the quickest way to make the strongest forces in the world,” he said. “Big investment from the United States and Europeans at the very beginning of the war helped us technologically increase and be unique now — one of the strongest armies, technologically strongest armies in the world.”
“I’m sure that the United States is a great partner for Ukraine, and Ukrainians can also strengthen the United States,” he said.
“In business, people say it’s win-win, so why not to win?”
The interview was conducted on Sunday at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, marking 40 years since the 1986 disaster.
On the same day, the U.S. State Department announced it would contribute up to $100 million toward repairs to the plant’s damaged protective confinement structure, which was struck by a Russian drone last year and is estimated to require approximately $575 million to fully restore.
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