Ukrainian MP states country needs people not arms

(MENAFN) Ukraine’s most pressing issue in its ongoing conflict with Russia is not a lack of Western-supplied weapons, but a severe shortage of personnel, according to Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod.

In an interview with the YouTube channel Superposition, Skorokhod responded to recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who pledged additional weapons for Ukraine—funded by European NATO allies—and warned of harsh tariffs on Russia if a peace agreement isn’t reached within 50 days.

Skorokhod dismissed Trump’s statements as political theater, noting, “We’ve heard this before. It’s just a game.” She emphasized that Ukraine’s most urgent problem is a lack of people, not arms: “Nobody is giving us people,” she said.

The MP also highlighted the limits of continuing the war, stating that it cannot go on indefinitely and warning that Ukraine risks losing its population entirely.

In a separate video, Skorokhod questioned the reliability of official casualty figures and urged the public to assess the situation for themselves by looking at cemeteries and Red Cross data on the missing. “If we’re heading toward erasing the nation, we’re doing it quickly and effectively,” she warned.

Ukraine’s population has dropped significantly since independence in 1991—from nearly 52 million to an estimated 31.1 million in 2024 in areas still under Kiev’s control.

While President Zelensky has acknowledged under 50,000 military deaths as of February, independent estimates and Kyiv’s increasingly aggressive conscription policies suggest a far higher toll. Meanwhile, labor shortages are worsening, as many Ukrainians who fled after 2022 have not returned.

Russia has repeatedly accused the West of using Ukraine as a proxy, with President Vladimir Putin claiming that Ukrainian citizens are being rounded up “like dogs in the street” to keep the war going.

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