Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that “millions will be killed” in his country’s war with Russia without additional funding from the United States.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Zelensky in an interview to respond to comments made by Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who claimed Ukraine’s outcome in its war will not be changed even if it receives the President Biden’s $60 billion aid request. Zelensky said he wasn’t sure if Vance “understands what is going on here.”

“To understand it is to come to the front line to see what’s going on, to speak with the people, then to go to civilians to understand … what will [happen to] them without this support. And he will understand that millions … will be killed. It’s a fact,” Zelensky said.

  • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    Damn, that sucks. Not sure why it’s our problem though. Millions of Russians will be killed if we do give them aid. Ukraine should learn to solve their own problems.

      • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        Genocide is awful. If Russia were doing that in Ukraine, I’d be all for a war over it. This is a war over a couple ports Russia wants. Completely irrelevant to america, and not our problem.

        • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine, assuming we are using the rather expansive definition that people are now using for the Israel-Hamas conflict.

          The US should definitely support Ukraine, but Europe could do a hell of a lot more to ramp up war production. All the talk is about US aid, but the Europeans are being massive pussies. They brag about sending more food and medical aid, but Russia won’t be intimidated by that. Europe needs to convert to a war economy, massively ramp up war production, and supply Ukraine with unlimited military equipment. This is a war whose outcome will be determined by industrial production, which means Russia will certainly win if Europe doesn’t get its collective ass in gear. The US should take the opportunity to ramp up military production as well, but the Europeans are a lot closer to the action and have much more at stake. The Europeans should agree to take the lead on Ukraine while the US gears up for competition with China.

          • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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            8 months ago

            No, they are not. Israel is though. These things have definitions for a reason. If Europe and Russia want to have a war, they can go right ahead. America needs to stay out of it though. Fuck their wars. I would happily dodge a draft, as would most people I know. America needs to learn to make money by building things, instead of by blowing them up. No war with Russia, no war with China, ever. If Congress wants a war, it better be drafting every single child of a congressman first. Otherwise Americans are not going to show up.

            • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              I’m not sure where you are getting the idea that what Russia is doing in Ukraine is somehow less genocidal than what Israel is doing. At least Israel has the excuse that they were attacked by Hamas, and that Hamas’s ultimate goal is the extermination of Israel. Ukraine did nothing to Russia and has no thought of eliminating Russia as a country. Ukraine’s only “crime” was being friendly with the West, which also has no intention of eliminating Russia, except in Putin’s paranoid fantasies.

            • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              8 months ago

              Russia abducted and deported thousands of children. That alone meets the criteria agreed upon in the UN for genocide.

              The lowkey pro-Russian takes you have are as transparent as they are full of logical inconsistencies.

      • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        LMAO, because I don’t want America to get in a war with Russia that is not remotely relevant to us? Y’all are brainwashed as fuck if you think Russia is the only evil country in the world.

    • TruthAintEasy@kbin.social
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      8 months ago

      Oh it is our problem, if Russia takes and keeps Ukrain that tells the whole world expansionism is back on the table. If you think war cant find its way to your doorstep, your wrong

      • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        Damn, good thing America has all 10 of the worlds largest militaries then. Very much not concerned with that.

        • TruthAintEasy@kbin.social
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          8 months ago

          War on your doorstep as an american doesnt look like enemy soldiers in the street. More like you wake up one day with no power, no tap water, no phone service, no internet, no way to get news or ask for help. Eventually a cop car rolls down the street loudspeaker blaring shelter in place orders, national guard will bring food and water later yadda yadda and all because we are extremely complacent towards security of utilities in the cyber space

          Sounds fun right?

          • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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            8 months ago

            That just sounds like typical late stage capitalism, lol. But I have nothing against defense spending. America has very little defense spending though. The thing we call “defense” is very obviously 90% offense. America should spend our money helping our own people, not screwing around in wars half way around the world.

        • Omnificer@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Because the millions for Ukraine accounts for civilian casualties, not purely military. For anything similar Ukraine would have to counter invade Russia and launch artillery at residential areas.

          Even if we assume the worst of Ukraine’s intent, they wouldn’t have the capability to go beyond securing their borders.

            • Omnificer@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              You’re moving goalposts here. You said millions of Russians would die if Ukraine was given aid and I asked how you determined that number. By the same token, Russia should simply surrender.

    • SuperIce@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Maybe Russia shouldn’t invade other countries if they don’t want their people to die

      • aidan@lemmy.worldM
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        8 months ago

        Ironically exactly the opposite was upvoted in regards to hamas. That just because a government did something bad, the people don’t need to be punished- which I agree with.

      • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        Still not seeing why America is supposed to give a crap about a war on the other side of the globe. We are still responsible for the deaths of millions if we give Ukraine all the weapons they desire.

    • Szymon@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      Why would millions of Russians be killed if Russia left Ukraine and went back home? Its Putin, not Ukraine. Slava Ukrainia!

        • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          There is an easy way for Russia to prevent those deaths (even though your numbers are hyperbolic): Pulling out of Ukraine, to the 2014 borders. Easy peasy, no more dead russians.

        • tiltinyall@lemmy.org
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          8 months ago

          A destabilized EU, and that’s a guarantee there, would economically impact the entire world in ways that U.S.A exceptionalists can not ever seem to grasp.

        • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          Lol, just be quiet troll. It’s easy looking at your post history that you have an agenda that is aligned with the opposition of America.

          A degraded russian military is good for pretty much everyone.

          And by the way you talk you probably don’t give a shit about socialised healthcare. It’s just a stick you can use to hit people with.

            • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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              8 months ago

              Not an American.

              You have some pretty dumb ideas about foreign policy.

              The fact that you used healthcare as an example is a conservative dogwhistle, and a rather ineffective one at that.

              Isolationism is something your country cannot go back to. That idea was rightly killed over a century ago, as if it was ever actually fully realised.

              I thought your country at least paid lip service to freedom and democracy worldwide, how is letting Russia invade and annex another country good for you?

              It’s not hard to tell that you aren’t someone who actually understands the topic, or is acting in good faith here.

                • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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                  8 months ago

                  Well, Ukraine formally asked for aid at the beginning of Russia’s “special military operation”. Soooooo…

                  The US hasn’t sold a single thing to Ukraine, but has been donating their old stock.

                  How is helping Ukraine not a good thing? Doesn’t that increase security by having another friendly nation on your side?

                  Your arguments are rather weak. Seriously, how does allowing Russia have its way benefit anyone but Russia?

        • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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          8 months ago

          Because they aren’t going to stop. See when they took Crimea in 2014, now it’s a full invasion.

          You don’t try to appease fascists.

        • Mirshe@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Because it’s not a “small” portion they WANT. That’s what’s known as a “beachhead”. Putin and the rest of the Duma have signaled that they want UKRAINE, in its totality, and preferably would not like those people with their ideas of “independence from Russia” in their heads - hence Putin actually saying the only victory he would accept is the destruction of Ukrainian identity as a concept (war against a concept doesn’t end well - see “war on terror/war on drugs”.) This is also ignoring the fact that Russia ALREADY tried the “storm in, kill the head of state, annex the country” bit with Georgia back in 2008, and got their shit kicked in by the Georgian military. Expansionist powers like Russia don’t just stop with whatever country they’re currently invading - there’s always another “over there” to go conquer.

          If you want more evidence on this, I highly recommend you read up on a little thing called Imperial Japan, or potentially just Manifest Destiny. There’s never such a thing as “enough” for a state hellbent on expanding at all costs into territory they think is rightfully “theirs”.

    • Kalkaline @leminal.space
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      8 months ago

      Ukraine is the world’s “bread basket” they produce a ton of the world supply of wheat and barley.

          • Thief_of_Crows@lemmy.ml
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            8 months ago

            You said we need the grain there. We will still be able to get the grain that’s there. How’s that appeasement?

            • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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              8 months ago

              How is it not? Allowing Russia to invade and take over another country is some 18th century shit, and tells them they can do this with impunity.

              So, you push isolationist, defeatist and appeasement propaganda and you wonder why people call you a bot and a troll.

                • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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                  8 months ago

                  America isn’t being the World Police, not in this instance. We’re enabling the Ukrainians to defend themselves, but otherwise are not active participants.

                  Neither is the UN, BTW. This is a war Ukraine has to fight and win on their own.

        • InternetUser2012@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Hey, I want your car. You should give me your car so I don’t have to forcefully take it from you. Ok? Great, let me know where to pick up it. Don’t like that idea? Why not?

    • Voran@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      They are solving their own problems by fighting back. Unfortunately that requires missiles that fucking cost money.