Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to problems not only for Ukrainians, but also for Western businesses and consumers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

He thanked Ukraine's allies for refusing to succumb to Russian blackmail and continue to give Ukraine the opportunity to confront a much more powerful enemy..

" It’s hard for them, they have high prices now, they feel discomfort because of this war, because of the crises that the Russians fabricated,” the president said..

However, this is a matter of values, he is convinced.. Diplomatic concessions to Moscow today may somewhat stabilize the markets, but they will only give a temporary respite and launch a boomerang for the future.

According to Zelensky, the amount of HIMARS provided is far below what Ukraine needs in order to turn the tide.. However, he called an even more urgent need for air defense systems that could prevent Russia from sending long-range missiles to civilian cities hundreds of kilometers from the front line.. As you know, the United States and Germany have promised, but have not yet provided such systems.

“These air defenses would be much cheaper for the US and Europe than keeping the Ukrainian economy afloat with a $5 billion monthly budget deficit,” Zelensky said..

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As reported, according to the results of the second quarter of this year, the National Bank of Ukraine estimated the fall in the gross domestic product (GDP) of Ukraine at 40%.

The Russian invasion has already caused significant economic damage to the Ukrainian economy. It's about $100 billion..