Zelensky’s wife tells West: Help us or Ukraine will die

THE first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, has warned that her people are in ‘mortal danger’ if military assistance from the West dwindles.

Ukrainians fear they are at a decisive turning point in their fight against the Russian invaders after Republican senators in the US blocked a $60billion (£47.5billion) package of support for their war effort.

The US has been the key financial backer of the Ukrainian resistance. Without its backing its military will struggle to continue arming itself.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg in the wake of the US Senate setback, Ms Zelenska said: ‘If the world gets tired, they will simply let us die.’

US President Joe Biden has warned a failure to continue providing Ukraine with aid would be a ‘gift’ to Vladimir Putin.

Ms Zelenska, pictured right, agreed that it represented a ‘mortal danger’ for the Ukrainian people. She said: ‘We really need the help. In simple words, we cannot get tired of this situation, because if we do, we die.’

She continued: ‘It hurts us greatly to see the signs that the passionate willingness to help may fade. It is a matter of life for us. Therefore, it hurts to see that.’ Military analysts believe that Putin has deliberately waged a slow and attritional war to gradually sap the enthusiasm of Ukraine’s Western backers to continue providing support.

The strategy has appeared particularly effective in the US, where many Republicans have grown increasingly concerned at the spiralling cost of supporting Ukraine set against the comparative lack of battlefield progress. Britain, however, has remained steadfast in its support for Ukraine, with Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron visiting Washington DC last week in an effort to drum up support. He described the US as the ‘linchpin’ of the Western coalition backing Ukraine’s fight against Russia and urged them not to give Putin a ‘Christmas present’ by blocking financial aid.

Republicans in the US blocking a support package are seeking to secure compromises from President Joe Biden on funding for US border measures, in exchange for their support.