Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested in a new interview with NBC News that World War III may have already started.
What he said: “Nobody knows whether it may have already started. And what is the possibility of this war if Ukraine will fall, in case Ukraine will? It’s very hard to say,” Zelenskyy said.
- “And we’ve seen this 80 years ago, when the second world war had started ... nobody would be able to predict when the full scale war would start.”
Worth noting: The Zelenskyy interview will appear on NBC’s “Nightly News with Lester Holt” on Wednesday night.
The bigger picture: Zelenskyy’s comments came hours after he spoke to a joint session of Congress Wednesday morning in a virtual address, calling on the United States and President Joe Biden to offer more help to Ukraine amid its ongoing war, as I reported for the Deseret News.
- “Right now, the destiny of our country is being decided. Whether Ukrainians will be free. Russia didn’t just attack our cities, it went on a brutal offensive against our values, our right to live freely,” Zelenskyy said in his address to Congress.
President Biden responded to Zelenskyy’s speech by committing $800 million in military support for Ukraine, per NBC News.
- The military aid includes anti-aircraft and anti-armor systems, as well as more grenade launchers, drones and shotguns.
- “This could be a long and difficult battle,” Biden said. “But the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of Putin’s immoral, unethical attacks on civilian populations.”
- “We are united in our abhorrence of Putin’s depraved onslaught. And we’re going to continue to have their backs as they fight for their freedom, their democracy, their very survival.”