Zelensky asks for '1 percent' of NATO's tanks and planes

Volodymyr Zelensky
(Image credit: Behrouz Mehri - Pool/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked NATO on Sunday to send Ukraine "1 percent" of the alliance's tanks and aircraft and said his country has "already been waiting 31 days" for this much-needed equipment, The New York Times reported.

According to The Associated Press, Zelensky also criticized the West for what he described as its indecisive "ping-pong about who and how should hand over jets."

Earlier this month, Poland offered to transfer 27 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via the American military. U.S. officials quickly rejected the plan, fearing that Poland's proposal risked drawing NATO into a direct conflict with Russian forces.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"I've talked to the defenders of Mariupol today. I'm in constant contact with them," Zelensky said. "If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1 percent of their courage."

Last week, Zelensky described Russia's bombardment of the encircled port city of Mariupol as "a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come." Mariupol is strategically located between the Donbas, which is controlled by Russian-backed separatists, and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, making the city a key objective for Russian forces.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.