Zelenskyy instructs defence minister to seek information from US on pause in military aid

(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he had instructed his defence minister and other officials to secure precise information on military stockpiles after the United States announced a pause in aid, Reuters reported.

"I have instructed the Ukrainian defence minister, the head of the intelligence service, and diplomats to contact their counterparts in the United States and obtain official information," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

"People should not be left to speculate."

He said maintaining "normal, partner relations with America is key to truly ending the war. None of us wants an endless war."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is seeking "constructive cooperation and genuine partnership" with Washington and again expressed regret over the heated argument during his meeting last week in the Oval Office in Washington.

"What happened in the White House, instead of our planned negotiations, was regrettable," he said.

"But we must find the strength to move forward, to respect each other, as we have always respected America."

Zelenskyy said that Russia, more than three years after the war, has not changed its stance on Ukraine.

"They will seek a reduction of our army, they will want a legal renunciation of our territories, and also a significant political deformation of the Ukrainian constitution," he said.

"In reality, as long as we in Ukraine are all together and strong, as long as we are here, no one will succeed in that. Our peace will be dignified."