Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour for an interview published on Wednesday, Kuleba argued that Western states have “sufficient resources” to meet Ukraine’s urgent requests for aid, saying efforts must be “stepped up and expedited”.

“All the West has to do is start believing in itself – in its capacity to prevail,” he said.

“And of course, time matters. We cannot sit and wait [for] endless discussions on this matter. So we call on everyone to expedite the decisions that are pending, because the West has shown that it is capable of defending democracy.”

Asked whether Kiev had other options in the event that American largesse does not arrive on time, the Ukrainian FM answered in the negative, saying his country could only rely on US and allied support.

“We don’t have a plan B. We are confident in plan A. Ukraine will always fight with the resources given to it. And…what is given to Ukraine is not charity. It’s an investment in the protection of NATO and in the protection of the prosperity of the American people,” he added, citing recent remarks by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

Kuleba went on to note the ongoing debate in the US Congress over the next round of military aid, observing the dispute is “centered on the domestic issues of borders in the United States”. While the White House has asked lawmakers to pass a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine, some Republicans have vowed to block the measure unless Democrats agree to various border policy reforms. The legislation has been stalled for weeks, though independent US Senator Kyrsten Sinema said lawmakers are “closing in” on a deal, which could authorize billions in military aid for both Ukraine and Israel.

Earlier this week, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged that Washington had provided the “last security assistance package that we have funds to support” just ahead of the new year, adding that any additional aid would have to be approved by Congress.

“Absent supplemental funding, there’s no other magical pot to dip into to try to get support for Ukraine,” Kirby stated.

Kuleba did not deny that Ukraine is “rapidly burning through” Western arms and ammunition supplied earlier in the conflict, agreeing that Kiev is now seeking new air defense capabilities, combat drones of all types and long-range missiles, in addition to stepped-up sanctions on Russian officials and organizations.

The United States has authorized nearly $45 billion in direct military assistance to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia escalated in early 2022, in addition to other indirect military aid and financial and humanitarian assistance. Moscow has repeatedly condemned foreign arms shipments, arguing they would only prolong the fighting and do little to deter its military aims.

The swap of captured personnel was the result of a “complex negotiation process” facilitated by the “humanitarian mediation” of the United Arab Emirates, the Russian military said.

The freed captives are being provided with medical and psychological assistance, and will be transported home by Russia’s Aerospace Forces, for treatment and rehabilitation in military medical facilities.

Shortly after the Russian announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his Telegram channel that “more than 200” Ukrainian servicemen have been released in exchange, later claiming the exact number was 230.

Neither side mentioned the other’s prisoners in their statements.

The exchange was reportedly the largest of the entire conflict so far. The last public PoW swap was in early August 2023, and involved 22 soldiers from each side.

In an early December interview with AP, Zelensky stated that small, local swaps continued to take place, claiming that Kiev had managed to retrieve about 100 personnel in this fashion.