JAKARTA - The United States has said it will supply Ukraine with the weapons needed to deal with a Russian invasion, while President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed skepticism.
The United States is committed to providing Ukraine with "the weapons it needs" to defend itself against Russia, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, as Ukraine seeks more military aid from the West.
Sullivan said President Biden's administration would send more weapons to Ukraine to prevent Russia from seizing more territory and targeting civilians, attacks Washington has called war crimes.
"We will give Ukraine the weapons it needs to defeat the Russians, to stop them from taking more towns and cities where they are committing these crimes," Sullivan said on ABC News' This Week.
Moscow itself is known to have repeatedly rejected accusations of war crimes, leveled by Ukraine and Western countries.
Speaking later on NBC News' 'Meet the Press', Sullivan said the United States was "working around the clock to deliver our own weapons and to organize and coordinate arms shipments from many other countries."
"Weapons come every day, including today," said Sullivan.
The United States has so far sent $1.7 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on February 24, the White House said last week.
The weapons shipment included Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as ammunition and body armor.
However, US and European leaders were 'pressured' by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to provide heavier weapons and equipment to confront Russia in the east of the country, where Russia is expected to increase its military efforts. Read more
In an excerpt from an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes that will air Sunday evening, President Zelensky expressed skepticism the United States would send the weapons he said he needed.
Whether Ukraine can defeat a Russian attack "depends on how quickly we will be helped by the United States. To be honest, whether we will be able to survive depends on this," President Zelensky said.
"I have 100 percent confidence in our people and in our armed forces, but unfortunately I do not have confidence that we will receive everything we need," he said.
Separately, US Republican Liz Cheney, speaking on CNN's 'State of The Nation', urged the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with offensive weapons such as tanks and planes as well as defense systems such as anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.
"I think we need to do everything Zelenskiy says he needs at the moment, given the incredible battle they've put in," he said.
A CBS News poll released on Sunday showed widespread support among Americans for sending more weapons to Ukraine.
#Тренуймося_заради_перемоги #ООС
😉 What is Javelin in Ukraine? pic.twitter.com/NIg5w3wEx9
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 13, 2022
According to the poll, which was conducted last week when news of Russian attacks on civilians came to light, 72 percent of those surveyed supported shipping more weapons, while 78 percent supported economic sanctions against Russia.
On Friday, Ukrainian officials said more than 50 people were killed in a missile attack on a train station in the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, where thousands had gathered to flee.
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The Russian invasion has forced about a quarter of the population of 44 million to flee their homes, turning cities into rubble and killing or injuring thousands.
Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in what it calls "special operations" to demilitarize and "denazify" its southern neighbour. Ukraine and Western countries have rejected this as a baseless pretext for war.
Russia on Saturday appointed a new general to lead its troops in Ukraine, Aleksandr Dvornikov, who has significant military experience in Syria.
Against that backdrop, Sullivan said he judged Dvornikov to "permit" more brutality against Ukraine's civilian population.
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