Zelenskyy Rejects Biden Admin Offer to Evacuate Kyiv: “I Need Ammunition, Not a Ride” (Updates)
“Thousands of Ukrainians have lined up to fight after Zelensky declared a general mobilisation and called on citizens to protect their country.”
As Russian military closes in on Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, city’s defenders make a stand against the invading force.
On Saturday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused a Biden administration’s offer to vacate the capital city Kyiv. The Ukrainian leader told Washington that his people needed “ammunition, not a ride.”
The Russian forces have breached suburbs of Kyiv, European media reports say. “Fighting intensified in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv overnight,” Germany’s DW News reported. “Thousands of Kyiv residents spent the night in bomb shelters and metro stations.”
Amid the sound of Russian shelling in the background, President Zelenskyy posted a video on social media showing him and armed defenders outside the presidential office.
“Our troops are here, citizens are here,” Zelenskyy said, assuring that “all of us are here protecting our independence of our country. And it will continue to be this way. Glory to our defenders, Glory to Ukraine, Glory to Heroes.”
"This is our land, our country, our children. And we will defend all of that."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Ukrainians to dispel misinformation that he had called upon the army to lay down arms. pic.twitter.com/PdGQRnqPBJ
— DW News (@dwnews) February 26, 2022
President Zelenskyy believes that invading the Russian forces have orders to eliminate him and his family. “The enemy marked me as target number one, and my family as target number two,” he said.
The AP News reported President Zelenskyy defiant response to Washington:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was asked to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the U.S. government but turned down the offer.
Zelenskyy said in response: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation, who described Zelenskyy as upbeat.
Invading Russian forces closed in on Ukraine’s capital on Saturday, in an apparent encircling movement after a barrage of airstrikes on cities and military bases around the country.
Thousands Enlist to Fight Invaders
The defense of Kyiv is being bolstered by fresh civilian conscripts. Media reports showed armed volunteers patrolling central Kyiv on Friday.
“Thousands of Ukrainians have lined up to fight after Zelensky declared a general mobilisation and called on citizens to protect their country,” TV channel France24 reported.
With citizenry gearing up for the defense of the city, the invading Russian columns are expected to face pitched streets battles with Ukrainians armed with small weapons and Molotov cocktails.
I learn to use #Kalashnikov and prepare to bear arms. It sounds surreal as just a few days ago it would never come to my mind. Our #women will protect our soil the same way as our #men. Go #Ukraine! 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/UbF4JRGlcy
— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) February 25, 2022
The Russian invasion force at the gates of Kyiv faces strong resistance from the Ukrainian army. “Russian assaults on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv have been met with fierce resistance, as the Ukrainian military says it fought off several attacks,” the BBC noted Saturday morning.
“Military criminals of Russia attacked one of the military units in Kyiv on Victory Avenue. The attack has been fought back,” the Ukrainian armed forces said in a statement.
Moscow also made claims of its advance towards Kyiv. “The Russian defence ministry claimed its forces had blocked Kyiv from the West and taken control of Gostomel airport nearby,” UK TV channel Sky News reported citing Russian state media.
Moment of the strike on a building in Kyiv pic.twitter.com/5T32QiDNlt
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) February 26, 2022
There are reports of heavy Russian shelling across the capital. “A building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has been set on fire and severely damaged after being hit by fragments of a Russian rocket,” the BBC reported Saturday morning. The number of civilian casualties are not yet known.
The Reuters reported city’s response to advancing Russian forces:
People in Kyiv were told to make Molotov cocktail petrol bombs on Friday as they hid in makeshift shelters and basements, awaiting a Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital.
Missiles pounded Kyiv overnight and air raid sirens wailed, increasing fears among residents who did not flee the city of 3 million on Thursday that an assault was imminent.
“Make Molotov cocktails, neutralise the occupier!,” the Defence Ministry said, while local authorities told people in the northwestern Obolon area of the city to stay off the streets because “active hostilities” were approaching.
Some residents took refuge in subway stations being used as air-raid shelters, or rushed to basements of apartments blocks or other buildings when air-raid warnings sounded.
https://twitter.com/olex_scherba/status/1497493727287390212
Putin Calls on Ukrainian Army to Putsch, Capitulate
With Russian forces staging a multipronged invasion, President Vladimir Putin told the Ukrainian military to overthrow country’s elected government to seek favorable terms of surrender. “Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach agreement,” Putinr said in a televised statement on Friday.
The Russian military has overwhelming air superiority in this campaign. They have decimated Ukrainian civilian and military airfields, making it difficult for the U.S. and Western allies to fly in military aid to the beleaguered country.
“Russian Armed Forces hit a total of 821 Ukrainian military infrastructure objects, including 14 military airstrips, 19 control centers and communication nodes, 24 S-300 and Osa missile air defense systems, 48 radar stations,” Russian state news agency TASS reported Saturday. “During the night, Russian Armed Forces carried out a long-range precision strike via naval-and air-based cruise missiles on Ukrainian military infrastructure objects,” the news outlet added citing Russian defense ministry spokesman.
The street-by-street battles are apparently taking a toll on the invading Russian forces. As of Saturday morning, estimated 3,500 Russian soldiers have been killed and 200 captured, the Ukrainian sources say. Fourteen Russian warplanes and more than 100 tanks have also reportedly been destroyed.
UPDATES:
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CONTINUES
“Russian forces continued to pound Kyiv and other cities with artillery and cruise missiles in a campaign that has sent hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing westwards towards the European Union, clogging major highways and railway lines,” Reuters reported.
GERMANY REVERSES BAN ON WEAPONS SALE TO UKRAINE
‘Berlin has reportedly given the go ahead for the Netherlands to sell 400 German-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers to Ukraine,” German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.
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Comments
Who is taking a nap in Delaware? Supposedly, the one Putin fears the most.
Who is actually going toe-to-toe with Putin?
Answer: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
And who totally failed to prepare his country for a foreign invasion?
Answer: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
If you’re begging for ammunition at this point you’ve already lost the war.
disagree–if anything, the russians are a long way from winning
zelenskyy has some genuine warriors around him and they will, if they haven’t already, inform him that the russians are carrying the ammo his troops need–the ukranian boys can either STEAL it from the russians or waste the bastards and THEN take it from them
Jen Psaki announced Joe Biden will be seen appearing later today in 4 states: Delaware, Unaware, Confusion, and Catatonic.
Instead of “appearing” perhaps you may have meant “appeasing”?
Catatonia. Isn’t that a region in Spain?
I need ammo, not a ride. Spoken like a leader and a man.
Spoken like a guy who over the years of his presidency has totally failed to prepare his country for an invasion from a hostile, foreign country,
If you’re begging for ammunition at this point, you’ve already lost the war.
He has begged NATO for more defensive weapons since 2013 or so. NATO has been slow to respond until the middle of the Trump years. Too little too late.
He’s not a member of NATO.
Maybe I don’t understand the subtleties of foreign policy, but begging to join NATO when your country is under attack sounds a lot like calling State Farm for a new policy while your house is on fire.
He has been asking for weapons not just joining NATO , going back a number of years. You seem to have skipped over those ‘subtle’ distinctions.
Lucifer Morningstar… interesting nom de plume. Bible also says Satan is the father of lies
Interesting that you see Zelensky as the person who failed his people.
The country that convinced Ukraine to give up nuclear weapons in return for their protection is the one who failed Ukraine.
Go peddle your lies elsewhere
You can NEVER have enough ammunition.
Impossible to upvote that comment too many times.
You can never have enough ammo and no matter how much you stockpile it gets used up. What is hurting Ukraine’s fight is the lack of antiaircraft protection.
On another note a friend told me this morning that when her friend and her husband went to sign up to fight, the line stretched so far they couldn’t see the end, and when they finally got to the military personnel in charge, the and the rest were turned away because there were no more rifles and ammunition! The response has been unbelievable!
I am sure the Ukrainians have not forgotten what Stalin did to there country men in the 1930’s
If Ukraine fends off Russia, Zelensky’s bad ass line will be going in the history books.
Yep. Right up there with “Nuts”.
From what I understand, all Zelensky has to do is prevent the Russians from consolidating their gains. If the Russians get bogged down, Putin will have to face the increasingly upset Russian people. Their economy is about the size of Mexico, a 3rd world economy with 1st world weapons.
If this lasts long to our November elections, they US stance should change as more politicians who are not on the Russian and Chinese payrolls start making the decisions. A key decision will be to open up our oil production again. That will kill oil prices which Russian desperately needs to keep their economy afloat.
Meanwhile, China make be flying attack jets over Taiwan but in 2-3 weeks, they may have a change of heart about starting a very bloody and costly invasion. So far, they haven’t shot at anything but shooting a couple of their jets down and then sailing a large US-led naval armada through the South China Sea could be all we need to call their bluff. Xi is already facing a very unhappy population which may be affecting the stability of his regime. The CCP apparently unhappy with him too. The Genocide Olympics didn’t help his standing at all.
The longer this goes, the longer the world has to send arms to the Ukraine.
Like Taiwan, they should have been booby trapping the hell out of everything the Russians touch. Walk 2 feet, get your balls blown off.
No booby-trapping. Blow up all the pipelines transporting energy across Ukraine to Western Europe now.
Xi is forbidding Ukraine from talking to Russia
The bucks (billions at stake for Ukraine), stops here
The US needs a strong leader, not a soy boy.
Soy ice cream boy.
A soy boy would be preferable to a mental patient.
He should have prepared to defend his country before Russia invaded—maybe some fox holes, a few mines here and there, bunkers, sandbags, fortifications and a big stock pile of ammo.
I’m sure he thought Biden would help after all the money Ukraine gave to him and his son Hunter.
But Zalenskiy is not prepared. He says, “I need ammunition, not a ride.” Maybe he should have used some of that money to buy ammo instead of giving it to Biden.
He is learning the same lesson that Americans have been learning, the Biden Syndicate are a bunch of crooks, they lie, cheat and steal.
I am not at all aware of what the Ukranian defensive strategy is, but in the modern combat environment, fixed positions are death. Highly mobile small, autonomous groups or dedicated warriors dispersed across the zone of conflict are required. From all that I have heard, the Ukranian army is vastly improved since 2014 with the help of US and other trainers and advisors.
Russia has a lot more combat power they can pour into Ukraine if needed, and there is a lot of propaganda flowing from each side so it’s hard to know what is really going on, but “a few mines here and there, bunkers, sandbags, fortifications” are relatively uses on a modern battlefield.
Also remember that Ukraine has been asking for foreign armaments, and people like Obama offered only non-lethal aid such as blankets and tents. Even now, Germany offered a paltry 5,000 helmets.
Lastly, Zalenski did not give Hunter money. If you recall, he was a reformer who has been trying to suppress corruption in Ukraine, to include payments to the Biden family. He is NOT the problem. I do agree he seems to have not believed the Russians would actually invade Ukraine. If so, he and I shared the same mistaken opinion.
Well they could have bought that Russian 556 and 9mm ammunition for cheap.
Lots pure BS propaganda floating around for sure. Many of the images being shown are not contemporary, some are from 2014 and some are akin to ‘stock’ photos of Ukrainian civilians with weapons.
Wait a minute. The money the Ukraine gave Joe and Hunter?! What money would that be? When did the Ukraine ever give them anything. Burisma is not the Ukraine.
When he’s done being President of Ukraine, can we have him for President of the U.S.? Yes, I know, the Constitution. But admit it. He just blew the entire competition out of the water.
Second best. How about we ‘Murricans ask him what ammo he needs, and send it to him I’d kick in a few hundred.
Maybe we should’ve let him have some of the arms, ammunition and equipment we left in Afghanistan.
You’ll get no argument from me. But then, you’ll have to look long and hard for former military who was a fan of leaving munitions behind. Standard practice was to destroy anything of use to the enemy.
Replenishing your enemy in the field has never been a thing in the history of the U.S. armed forces until Obama.
https://nypost.com/2021/08/16/taliban-leader-was-freed-from-guantanamo-in-2014-swap-by-obama/
Hey, but WTF do I know.
Nice post. Good Information.
It is being reported that Germany is sending some armament.
“How about we ‘Murricans ask him what ammo he needs, and send it to him I’d kick in a few hundred.”
After the ingratitude we got from the UK in WWII for our generous private charity, I doubt too many US gun owners will be responsive.
Lets hope that Russia gets bogged down, only then would any private ammo have time to get there. I am concerned about Russia having control of of Ukraine’s oil
Kiev:
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
There is a scene at the close of the movie blazing saddles. It’s where the cast is running down Santa Monica Blvd. and there’s this lonely old man in a cardigan sweater looking back-and-forth wondering what’s going on around him. I think Biden is that old man.
For Harry Potter fans, Joe is Gilderoy Lockhart. Braggart, fraud, clueless, demented.
At least it wasn’t Stan Lee.
I don’t know who Kira Rudik is, but damn that’s one of the sexist photos I’ve ever seen.
She is a Ukrainian lawmaker.
I am informed by relatives who work for the Ring doorbell folks that Hot Machine Gun Chick was actually the director of their Ukraine operation, back before Bezos ate Ring and set the entire Ukraine market adrift.
But then again, that seems to be a common theme in the love story between Democrats and the Ukraine, doesn’t it?
Doh, sexiest. No edit it seems.
Your remark about sexiest is itself sexist you chauvinistic pig!!!1!!!1!!11!!!
Fur sure. No sharing picnic baskets with sexist chauvinistic pigs.
Maybe. Anyone have a link?
I was watching Top Gun. I couldn’t help myself. I got to like 500 times Maverick would have been arrested for misogyny by the time he was testing the counter in the O Club lady’s room to see if it would support sex..
This is in no way an endorsement for the Cuomos.
The Ukrainians are doing very well so far. Don’t get too upset about requests for ammo as the expenditure always exceeds planning, especially for a defending force with a high militia component. One point is that the plan seems to be not to damage infrastructure or simply use mass artillery which is a deviation from Soviet Doctrine. Instead the Russians seem to be trying to minimize damage insofar as that’s possible. They are also holding back , according to media, between 2/3 to 1/2 of their assembled forces. Soviet doctrine calls for a reserve to be committed to the axis of advance that is successful; reinforce success not failure.
If the slower than anticipated advance continues will Russia begin using more unrestrained tactics? Is the reason for not employing more forces due to doctrine or because they are unreliable? Maybe the troops committed so far are considered expendable as being insufficiently Russian and Putin is worried about domestic unrest? Kazakhstan just denied a request for troops which seems to indicate Putin has some sort of issue with his available forces.
I just saw that.
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2022/02/26/kazakhstan-to-putin-pound-sand-n451388
His flank is not as secure as he thought. This also alerts them as to how Putin thinks of them. …next?
Trump would not only have sent you ammo, he would have sent an ultimatum to Putin and he wouldn’t have dared invaded.
Maybe you should have actually opened your mouths when the jackasses tried to impeach him over a phone call with YOUR government.
You got EXACTLY what you wanted with Biden, jackass, enjoy him.
They did. The MSM printed it and quickly buried it.
Does anyone need to slap the smug off that face more than me. Because I doubt it’s possible.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2022/02/if-you-have-assets-at-canadian-financial-institutions-youre-nuts/
Ukrainians have proven to be remarkably resilient and gritty. They survived some early mistakes to particularly include being WAY too slow in mobilizing their civilian defense component. But, they’ve survived the initial onslaught and despite Zelenskyy facing the reality of the invasion somewhat late, he’s proven to be a reliable, charismatic leader in the face of certain death.
It never should have come to this. But, elections have consequences. And in fairness, Zelenskyy isn’t without blame. They wanted Joe Biden and now they’re having to live with it. That was a mistake, hopefully not a fatal one.
I’m not at all sure Zelensky “wanted” Joe Biden.
We know from Biden’s intemperate bragging that he extorted Zelensky for the foreign aid America was sending him, during his Vice Presidency. That’s a power relationship.
We saw Zelensky issue a statement that Trump (unlike Biden) did not pressure him during the infamous phone call. He didn’t have to do that.
And out of band, we know which of these presidents has been a grifting international influence peddler all his life, and which has not.
So if you have any evidence that Zelensky preferred Biden to Trump, I haven’t come across it yet.
I base my comment on one simple fact: When Democrats first began beating the impeachment drums, Zelenskyy could have turned over all of the investigative information that Ukrainian authorities had been gathering on the Bidens to the US DoJ. There’s a LOT there. He didn’t. While it’s true he would eventually make the comment you point to, by that time, it was too late.
I think Zelenskyy thought he was would have a better chance of getting Ukraine into NATO. In fact, Biden did just that and the White House tried to excise it from the record. IMO, Biden knew he had to help Zelenskyy lest the dirt Ukraine had on the Bidens would come out. Unfortunately, by this time, it was already too late. Russia had already to quietly, slowly amassing troops & equipment for the invasion we see today.
https://nypost.com/2021/05/06/white-house-open-to-ukraine-joining-nato-in-jab-at-russia/
I get that Zelenskyy was likely doing what he thought was best for his country. But, what he didn’t understand is the Trump had already established the redline with Putin (to his face, no less) that Ukraine was off limits so long as he was president. And, Trump was also smart enough to not build any kind of momentum for Ukraine joining NATO. Zelenskyy didn’t understand that while Putin feared Trump, he wouldn’t feel similarly about Biden.
I take your point in the first paragraph, but if the object was to exonerate Trump, I don’t see how blowing the whistle on Biden would have helped him. It would have been delightful, certainly, but irrelevant. Biden wasn’t even one of Trump’s lead antagonists at the time.
I could be misremembering this, but by the time the 1st Impeachment began, Biden was already the clear front-runner. His nomination was never really ever in doubt. I think that’s why Ukraine kept their powder dry; they knew there was a solid chance Biden was going to be the nominee…and eventually the president.
BTW, I have no idea why someone would downvote your comment (or really any comment, honestly)
I have a 1/fan club.
” When Democrats first began beating the impeachment drums, Zelenskyy could have turned over all of the investigative information that Ukrainian authorities had been gathering on the Bidens to the US DoJ. “
And then what> What would have happened to it? Would the DoJ turn over that information to Trump’s legal team or to any Republican? No. The evidence would have been buried, as obvious Ukrainian disinformation, same as if Zelensky had just released it all on the internet. The news media would have completely ignored it and social media would ban anyone who brought it for spreading dangerous misinformation. Both Trump impeachments were nothing ore and nothing less than purely political moves to convince the Democrat base that Trump was guilty of something, and the evil rascally Republicans were letting him get away with it. And our trmendously independent news media cooperated fully with them.
You’re right. Concurrently to delivering their information to the DOJ, they would have needed to release the information publicly. Would it have made a difference in the impeachment itself? Perhaps not. BUT, it may have made a difference in the election.
They were conned by expert con men, the Biden’s. They should have spent that money on weapons.
https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-warns-nato-against-inclusion-of-finland-sweden-440093
If anybody bet Putin would stop at Ukraine, and Ukraine didn’t matter, you lose.
First person who tells me Sweden doesn’t count gets bitch slapped into the stone age.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finlandization
You see what Putin is doing, right? I’m enough of a poker player to see it. He’s playing a weak hand, and he’s playing it for all he’s worth.
I’ll see your Ukraine, MoFo, and I’ll call you for Scandinavia, bitch.
He’s playing chess against Biden, so yeah I see what he’s doing. As does any 4 year old child.
Exactly. This is supposed to be attributed to Marx.
“Always accuse your enemies of what you are doing. It muddies the waters;” Like, derr! You don’t see that on a kindergarten playground.
I”m going to write a book. “Evertything I kicking Putin’s @$$ I learned in Kindergarten. But now I have a Navy.”
I don’t know why but the ‘puter keeps eliminating stuff.
It was supposed to read, “Everything I learned about kicking Putin’s ass etc cetera etc cetera.
I didn’t play a lot of card games when at sea.
If Zelenskyy is still in Kyiv I don’t see how he survives this. Kyiv will be taken unless Ukraine can turn this into another Stalingrad (Russia taking the role of the Germans). So far Russia is acting like they need the city, but if all they really need is the port then general destruction of the city is on the table. Unrestrained demolition of the city would kill hundreds of thousands but it would end things swiftly. Encirclement and siege would also end this.
IMO anything like hundreds of thousands of deaths would require a destruction of the Russian economy that Putin might not survive and US election results in November that Biden might not survive.
I’m thinking the Ds are toast in November, Ukraine or no Ukraine.
Hope he’s made tapes that detail all of the Biden Family’s crimes should something unfortunately “happen” to him.
There’s a reason he refused Biden’s offer, and it’s not just because he wants to fight. Trusting Biden would be a huge mistake for him.