Commander in Ukraine's Azov battalion, that was key in defense of Mariupol, reacts to US aid 'pause' скачать в хорошем качестве

Commander in Ukraine's Azov battalion, that was key in defense of Mariupol, reacts to US aid 'pause'

(5 Mar 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Kyiv - 5 March 2025 1. Wide of Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Chekh, commander of Azov international battalion 2. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Chekh, commander of Azov international battalion: “We really need help with Patriot missiles, that cover critical infrastructure, civilian cities, densely populated cities where they (missiles) will fly to and civilians will be killed in the first place.” 3. Cutaway Backpack with patch 4. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Chekh, commander of Azov international battalion: “Whether we have help or not, the army is acting according to orders. And the army will do its job, it is a fact. And the civilian population, as I said earlier, will be at greater risk and the number of victims will increase many times over.” 5. Various shots of banner with servicemen from Azov 6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Chekh, commander of Azov international battalion: “As for our unit, due to propaganda, we did not receive any assistance from the United States for a long time. It was because of an amendment in the Senate, so we did not receive any at all. So we developed “in spite”, due to the fact that we had no help. That's why we relied on training, on the professionalism of our soldiers, on the implementation of NATO standards, and on planning and executing missions. This is why our unit shows that it is possible to act in spite of everything. But as for the country, I would not want it to lose such a strong ally.“ 7. Wide of Chekh 8. Close up of charity bear, that reminds about POWs imprisoned by Russia STORYLINE: A commander of the Ukrainian army's Azov Brigade on Wednesday said the civilian population of Ukraine will be "at greater risk" and the "number of victims will increase many times over” due to President Trump pausing U.S. assistance to Ukraine. Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Chekh said Ukraine needs help with Patriot surface-to-air missiles that "cover critical infrastructure, civilian cities and densely populated cities" to avoid an increase of civilian deaths. The move by the White House comes just days after a disastrous Oval Office meeting in which U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance tore into Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what they perceived as insufficient gratitude for the more than $180 billion the U.S. has appropriated for military aid and other assistance to Kyiv since the start of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal. The official added that the U.S. was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” “Whether we have help or not, the army is acting according to orders. And the army will do its job," Chekh said. He added that until June 2024 the U.S. had banned the Azov regiment from using American weapons and training, citing the neo-Nazi ideology of some of its founders. Chekh said that due to this the Azov battalion "developed in spite" of the ban. “We relied on training, on the professionalism of our soldiers, on the implementation of NATO standards, and on planning and executing missions. This is why our unit shows that it is possible to act in spite of everything," he said, adding, "But as for the country, I would not want it to lose such a strong ally.“ AP Video by Alex Babenko. =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...