Zelenskiy Urges Allies Not to ‘Drop the Ball’ on War Support

Ahead of Trump inauguration, Ukrainian leader presses case
Austin, at last Ramstein meeting, confirms $500 million in aid

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, and Lloyd Austin at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Jan. 9.Photographer: Daniel Roland/Getty Images

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By Natalia Drozdiak and Aliaksandr Kudrytski

January 9, 2025 at 11:53 AM UTC

Updated on

January 9, 2025 at 1:47 PM UTC

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a plea to press on with support for his war effort 11 days before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged a swift end to the fighting.

“We’ve come such a long way that it would honestly be crazy to drop the ball now and not keep building on the defense coalitions we’ve created,” Zelenskiy said during a meeting of allied defense ministers at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday.