Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, has expressed gratitude for the unprecedented support that Ukraine has received from the United States and other Western allies in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Markarova emphasized the importance of the financial, military, and humanitarian aid that Ukraine has received. “We really appreciate and value the assistance that we have received. This year has been unprecedented, especially from the United States, of course, from all of the partners, but especially from the United States.”
She not only highlighted the scale of the support that Ukraine has received but also the significant sums from the earlier US Assistance Initiative (USAI) program of around $300m. “We were able not only to get it quickly to Poland, and to other places, but also get it quickly to Ukraine, and to the frontline,” she said.
In addition to financial aid, Markarova emphasized the importance of US leadership in rallying allied states and creating partnerships such as the Ramstein group to coordinate military aid, the energy contact group, and the reconstruction group.
Despite the significant support that Ukraine has received, and the start of Russia’s spring offensive, the ambassador acknowledged that there is still more to be done to ensure Ukrainian victory.
“Do we have enough to win right now? Not yet. We need more capabilities in order to be able not only to defend and hold the line, but actually liberate our territory,” she said.
She listed some of the capabilities that Ukraine needs, including more artillery, air defense, tanks, aircraft, and counter-battery radars.
“This is also a test for all of us as democracies. The question is, none of us prepared for a World War I type of war. So, we just have to show that we also can be quick, we also can produce more, we also can pull our resources together and do this,” she said.
Markarova also highlighted the importance of the 54-nation Ramstein group. She emphasized that it extends far beyond the US and its NATO allies.
In his recent trip to Kyiv, President Joe Biden had outlined that United States would be with Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” Markarova noted that from Ukraine’s perspective, this means, “it’s not only until we win, it’s also after we win, as long as it takes for Ukraine to win this war and then win the peace.”
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or views of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis.
