Ukrainian diplomat pleads with Arizona lawmakers for more American aid in war against Russia

The Ukrainian consul general in San Francisco appeared in front of the Arizona state legislature this week and begged for more US help in Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion.

As the invasion’s sixth week rages on, Ukrainian politicians are seeking help from world governments so its military and citizens can continue to hold their cities as the Kremlin continues its vicious assault on Ukraine.

Consul General Dmytro Kushneruk told the Arizona legislature on Thursday that defeating Russia in Ukraine is important for the United States.

“The United States cannot afford Ukraine to lose this war,” Kushneruk said. “Because if Russia was to win, then we would all live in a world where the predator states … would use force to redraw borders, and the countries and nations would again need to prove their right to exist.”

Kushneruk told the lawmakers Ukraine needs, “weapons, weapons and weapons,” from the United States to defeat Russia. He also said the Ukrainian military needs “planes, anti-aircraft systems, heavy artillery, tanks, rockets systems and long-range missiles that can target Russian ships in the Black Sea.”