Exclusive: Zelenskyy tells Bret Baier funding Ukraine is about 'morality,' not economics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an exclusive interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier on "Special Report" insisted the question of funding Ukraine is not financial but "moral" as he urged the U.S. to keep backing his people.

"What I said Mr. Speaker [Rep. Mike Johnson]… that decision in December, about support — decision in January, decision in February — the big difference, it’s not about financing, it’s about the morality," Zelenskyy said during a sit-down interview on Special Report with Bret Baier on the Fox News Channel. 

"I know that you have your own challenges and domestic problems, and they are huge, I’m sure, but I think the United States is a great country which managed the complex problems — how to get success, how to stop the wars in all the world," Zelenskyy said. 

Russia intended for its invasion to last only a few weeks, but Ukraine’s surprising and effective resistance dragged the conflict out as it nears a third year.

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Ukraine’s much-promised counteroffensive in the second year, however, did not yield the results that Zelenskyy had promised, which has prompted questions from Congress over both the amount of aid and the timeline for how long the U.S. could or should provide ongoing assistance to Ukraine. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a news conference in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on December 12, 2023 in Washington, DC.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Zelenskyy visited the U.S. this week to make an impassioned plea to Congress to continue providing aid. House Republicans have insisted on linking Ukraine assistance to other spending and measures, such as creating strict southern border changes — all of which prompted a strong outcry from Democrats. 

President Biden cut that discussion short and announced a $200 million drawdown for the Department of Defense for Ukraine after he met with Zelenskyy on Tuesday. The sum is just a fraction of the $110 billion Biden has requested to support Ukraine and Israel and address other national security needs. 

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Following this latest package, U.S. support for Ukraine has left the Department of Defense with around $4.4 billion in weapon stockpiles it can use to provide aid to not just Ukraine but Israel and any other ally who might need it. 

Fox News Chief political anchor Bret Baier on "Special Report" interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about successes in Ukraine and accusations of a power grab.  (Fox News)

Zelenskyy felt positive about his meetings with both Biden and Speaker Johnson, but he remains keenly aware of the concerns that the U.S. has about the ongoing funding. He has not shied away from the issue, instead explaining clearly that he believes supporting Ukraine is supporting a final line of defense against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ambitions. 

"I think that's very important not to waste time, and it's very important to support Ukraine," Zelenskyy explained to Baier. "We showed really success on the Black Sea: That really was [a] very difficult operation, and we now created the grain route.

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"Russia doesn't have influence… on this grain route, and we destroyed [most of a] Russian fleet that was situated in our waters and near our temporary occupied Crimea," he added. "That was very good. I think that's [a] huge result."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sat down with Fox News Chief political anchor Bret Baier on "Special Report" to discuss his push for continued Congressional funding in his defense against Russia's invasion. (Fox News)

Zelenskyy also touted his military’s success against the infamous Russian mercenary Wagner group, claiming to have destroyed over 20,000 of their soldiers. He noted the international presence Wagner maintained prior to the death of its leader and founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, stressing that despite their near-global reach they never established much of a base in Ukraine. 

"I think it was so difficult for us to do, but I think, the most important thing to understand… Russia didn't occupy any village, any Ukrainian village during this year," he insisted. 

Zelenskyy dismissed criticism that argued he had tried to consolidate power during the invasion, instead explaining that when he speaks with leaders and soldiers on the front line, everyone is concerned with the war effort and their "one enemy" Putin. 

"We have only one enemy: That is Putin, and that’s it," he said. "We are really defending democracy, and we are really defending freedom." 

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report. 

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.