WashPo: Scant Evidence Zelensky Said 'I Need Ammo, Not a Ride' - Quote Was Put Out by U.S. Intel Official

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Mar. 07, 2022

There is scant evidence Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky turned down a US offer to evacuate Kiev by responding, "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."

The Washington Post investigated the purported quote and found it could only be sourced to one anonymous "senior American intelligence official" who fed it to the AP.

“I need ammo, not a ride”, may well go in the annals of history, as one of the greatest war-time quotes! #Zelensky #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/98uK5c5HH7
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) February 27, 2022

“Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”

…and…

“I need ammunition, not a ride.”

…are quite the rallying cries to fight an invading army.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) February 26, 2022

From The Washington Post, "Zelensky's famous quote of 'need ammo, not a ride' not easily confirmed":

“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, in a quote cited in an Associated Press article, Feb. 25

It's been one of the most-cited lines of the Russian invasion of Ukraine -- a defiant president refusing a U.S. offer to move to a more secure location away from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Hundreds of news articles have cited the line. It's appeared repeatedly on television newscasts [...]

But, so far, the only evidence for this line is an unnamed U.S. official. It has not been confirmed by either the U.S. government or Zelensky's office.

[...] Administration officials expressed confusion about the claim to The Fact Checker -- they deny Zelensky was asked to leave Kyiv by the U.S. government -- and said they do not know what call the AP is citing.

[...] Serhiy Nykyforov, Zelensky's press secretary, told The Fact Checker that he could not confirm whether the president had uttered the famous line or was asked to leave the capital by the Americans.

"Personally, I did not hear it. It might have been said in private conversation," he said in a phone interview. He said U.S. officials "were concerned about his safety very much. But I did not hear them say it straightforwardly like that."

Nykyforov added, however, that the reported retort by Zelensky captured the essence of the moment. "Even if he did not say it, all of his actions and his requests mean that," he said [...]

Snake Island was a hoax. The Ghost of Kyiv was a hoax. The first claim Russians attacked the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and were trying to trigger a meltdown was a hoax and the second claim Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was attacked and was leaking radiation was a hoax. The claim Russia attacked a Holocaust memorial was a hoax.

"I need ammo, not a ride" was propaganda put out by US intelligence.

The purpose of all these lies were to con the West into World War III and push Ukrainians to sacrifice their lives in defense of NATO expansionism and the Zelensky regime.

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