Defense Minister Rustem Umerov spoke about the diplomatic and military challenges Ukraine faces as Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance gain momentum in the US presidential election.
 "Ukraine will find solution to war no matter who wins US elections: Defense Minister")
AP Aspen (USA)
Ukraine’s defense minister said on Wednesday that his country would find a way to fight Russian aggression even if former President Donald Trump is re-elected and U.S. aid crucial to Ukraine’s defense is at risk.
In carefully constructed comments before an audience of U.S. policymakers and journalists, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reflected the diplomatic and military challenges Ukraine faces as Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, gain momentum in the U.S. presidential election.
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Vance, the Ohio senator, has fought in Congress to block US military and financial aid to Ukraine as it battles Russian forces and cross-border aggression, while Trump has said he would end the war immediately if he wins the November election.
Trump, a Republican, has not said how he plans to do that, but analysts say it could include withdrawing U.S. aid to Ukraine unless it agrees to a cease-fire on Russia’s terms, which would include handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia.
“We believe in American leadership, and we believe the United States wants its partners and allies to be just as strong,” Umerov said, speaking remotely to a group of government officials at the annual Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.
“At this stage, our focus is on the battlefield. We will find a solution regardless of the outcome of the US elections,” Umerov said.
Umerov, like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a NATO summit in Washington last week, declined to say whether Ukraine would try to continue fighting if the U.S. withdrew its support or whether it would agree to a cease-fire that would cede territory to Russia.
Other members of a military alliance of European and North American countries have also helped provide weapons, funds and other aid to Ukraine, but U.S. support has been most valuable since Russia began the war in early 2022.
Umerov insisted that for now Ukraine is expanding efforts to mobilize its more than four million registered soldiers and will continue to fight to reclaim territory already lost to Russia.
Recapturing the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which Russian forces seized in the early stages of the offensive, is within our scope of objectives, he said.
The defense secretary also took issue with President Joe Biden, without naming him. While Biden is the most important single supporter of Ukraine’s defense, he has resisted growing pressure to lift tough restrictions on Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons against Russian military targets. At a NATO summit, Biden suggested Ukraine could use U.S. weapons to attack Moscow.
Umerov said that unless they attacked Russian air bases and other military facilities, it would be impossible to stop Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
“We say it loud and clear: we are focusing on military targets and making sure that Ukrainian civilians are not attacked,” he said.
