Zelensky says increased donor support will help end Russian war sooner

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva via videolink, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 20, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that increased financial support from international donors will help end Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine more quickly, citing the need for $38 billion to close next year’s estimated budget deficit.

“The more assistance Ukraine gets now, the sooner we’ll come to an end to the Russian war, and the sooner and more reliably we will guarantee that such a cruel war will not spread into other countries,” Zelensky said in a virtual address to a high-level forum during International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Washington.

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