Does Ukraine have the weapons to keep fighting Russia? | Global News Podcast

Welcome to the global news podcast from. the BBC. I'm Charlotte Gallagher and. today we're joined by our correspondent. in Ukraine, Vitaliy Shevchenko. Vladimir. Putin has been holding his annual. economic conference in St. Petersburg. talking about Russia's finances, but. what is the situation in Ukraine four. years into this war? Does Ukraine have. enough money to keep fighting this? >> Well, they're still fighting, so. apparently it does. And the reason why.

it's still fighting, I would say, is. because it's found a cheaper way of. fighting this war. Unlike Russia, which. has many, many more tanks and missiles. and aircraft carriers and, you know, really, really. sophisticated kit which Ukraine doesn't. have, Ukraine has found a way of. countering all that with much, much.

cheaper drones and it's found a way of. mass producing those drones and. using them. against targets within Russia and in. Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine. So. far, it's been working even though after. Donald Trump's election, the the flow of aid from what used to be. Ukraine's. biggest donor, possibly biggest friend, has dried up. >> You talked there about these drones that.

Ukraine is using, but Ukraine also want. from the West these Patriot missile. systems. Can you tell us a bit about. them and why Ukraine wants them? >> They are hugely sophisticated, they are. hugely expensive and they are only made. by America. That is the problem. And the. reason why Ukraine needs them so much is. because at least according to President. Zelensky, Patriot missiles.

are the only weapon which Ukraine can. use to intercept Russia's cruise. missiles. Now, cruise missiles are. lethal, extremely effective in targeting. facilities within Ukraine. Just. last Tuesday when we had this massive. air strike by Russia against Ukraine, 11 cruise missiles were used and they. they wreaked havoc. So, Volodymyr.

Zelensky is saying, "Look, we really. need those Patriots. Sell them to us. We. will find the money to buy as many. Patriots as we need, but with what's. going on in Iran, America needs those Patriots for itself. And that is another problem." Volodymyr. Zelensky says, "Okay, you can't sell. them to us. Give us a license to produce. them here." That hasn't been supplied. either. So, that's why. officials here in Kyiv, they say it.

hurts them to see empty Patriot. launchers because they've quite simply. run out of missiles. >> Do you think there's any chance of. Ukraine getting that license in order to. produce their own Patriot missiles? >> It's a good question, Charlotte. It. depends on. the moods and the opinions and. discussions in Washington. Since Donald. Trump came to power, he has been saying. repeatedly that he is determined to make.

this war end. However, a lot of people. here in Ukraine and in other countries. as well, they're saying that Donald. Trump has been putting more pressure on. Ukraine rather than Russia. So, that's. why Volodymyr Zelensky, when he says. that well, give us those missiles or. give us a license, he sounds well, he's. beginning to sound a bit upset and. annoyed. >> And Vitaly, what is going on on the. front lines of this war?

>> You know, one opinion I keep hearing. from. people here in Ukraine and analysts. across the globe is that. at this moment in time, Ukraine is in a. pretty good place in in in the best. position since. it launched its counteroffensive against. Russia in late 2022. And the main reason for that, I think, is because Ukraine is pursuing two.

simultaneous. campaigns, drone campaigns. One is. long-range. targeting. oil terminals, oil refineries, oil storage facilities, oil infrastructure infrastructure within. Russia. So, that puts pressure on on the Russian. economy and on its ability to find the. money to keep fighting. The second Ukrainian drone campaign is.

medium-range. And it's targeting Russian. infrastructure closer to the front line. and also in the occupied parts of. Ukraine. And one sign of how this is. working. is this this torrent of videos we've. been seeing from Crimea, which is a an occupied region of. Ukraine. And these videos are showing. enormous lines of of of cars waiting to.

be well, to find petrol cuz. these Ukrainian strikes have disrupted. the usual supplies of goods and fuel to. places like Crimea. So, you'd think that. this affects not just civilians. queuing up to get their their petrol, but also Russia's army. as well. And uh. it's still sort of creeping forward, the.

Russian army, but it's it's it's advance. is incredibly slow, incredibly costly, and costly not just in terms of money. and lost hardware, but in terms of the. number of soldiers Russia. um is is losing. In certain parts of. Ukraine, such as Zaporizhzhia region, uh. Ukrainian forces have started to push. back and and they've retaken uh well, small villages, but still it's, you. know, it gives a boost to the mood here.

in Ukraine. So, it it in a nutshell, it's it's sort of static, but Ukraine. feels Ukraine's feeling. um upbeat. >> And what does that fighting look like? >> It's a lot of drones. And uh Ukraine's. of Ukraine's way of waging this war, I. think it's it's it's changed the uh you. know, the way wars are fought forever. That is because drones are getting more. sophisticated, they are getting longer.

range as well. So, both Russia and. Ukraine, they have been hitting their. enemy before it can actually get to the. front line. That's why you see uh not. just drones flying in the air, but also. uncrewed vehicles on on the ground. supplying the troops that are already. there on the front line. They can't get. out. Supplying.

uh weapons and ammunition and food and. water to them uh using other soldiers is. extremely dangerous. So, both Ukraine. and Russia have been using uncrewed. ground vehicles, basically uh robots. with wheels. They put the food and and. and and. ammunition and and water in there and. just send those. vehicles off. And and and that is I mean. from the point of view of what we saw. last year, that is just science fiction, but it's uh.

is the reality of today. >> What else does Ukraine want and need in. terms of weapons? >> I think the answer to that question is. everything. At this stage, I don't think. Ukraine will say, "Look, we've got. enough of this, you know, stop giving. this to us." It needs money, it needs. weapons, it needs political support, anything that it can get out of its. allies. Without that support,

trust me, Charlotte, it will not be. fighting still. And that's why. if if you look at the streets of Kyiv, you know, buses running, street cleaners sweeping streets, it's. to a huge extent because Ukraine's. Western donors are supplying it with. money, quite simply, to keep Ukraine. afloat. >> And where is most of that money coming. from? Who are the biggest donors in. terms of financial aid and also weapons?

>> Well, like I say, it used to be America. Ukraine's biggest donor, biggest friend, most powerful friend. And when Donald. Trump came to power, that all stopped. So, Europe. tried to fill that huge gap left by. the United States. And to an extent, it's worked. Europe is now giving more. aid to Ukraine than than previously.

So far, Europe has given Ukraine twice the. amount that Ukraine received from. America. So, that's that's money. When. it comes to. weapons, when it comes to intelligence, it's still America that is unrivaled. That's why no matter how hard the. Europeans try to help Ukraine, they will. not have things like Patriots or. sophisticated.

surveillance systems, and for that. Ukraine still. relies pretty heavily on the United. States. >> That was Vitaly Shevchenko in Kyiv, and. if you would like to hear more from the. Global News podcast, click the link. below. Thank you.