Nearly a week after the start of the violent fires ravaging the Los Angeles region in California, the Ukrainian president announced that he could send firefighters to the United States. A way for Volodymyr Zelensky to come to the aid of his main support in the war which has pitted him against Russia since 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed this Sunday, January 12, to send Ukrainian firefighters to California, in the United States, where fires are ravaging the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had instructed his Interior Minister “to prepare the possible participation of our rescuers in the fight against fires in California”.
“The situation there is extremely difficult, and the Ukrainians can help the Americans save lives,” he said in a video posted on X, adding that this aid was “being coordinated” and that “ 150 firefighters are already ready.”
The toll of the fires which increases day by day
Besieged by flames since Tuesday January 7, Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States, continues to count its dead: the toll increased Sunday evening to 24 dead, according to the Los County forensic medicine service. Angeles.
The city was still battling the flames this Sunday, the fires continuing to gain ground, while even more violent winds were forecast for Tuesday. Firefighters sometimes had to deal with empty hydrants or low pressure. Last Friday, their leader pointed out the insufficient budget allocated by the municipality to firefighters.
The United States is kyiv’s biggest supporter in its defense against Russian invasion. Washington has provided military aid worth more than $65 billion (€63 billion) since February 2022.
Devastating fires in the middle of winter: Los Angeles, a city soon to be uninhabitable?
While worrying about a possible drop in this aid with the announced return of Donald Trump to the White House on January 20, kyiv hopes for strong decisions from Joe Biden’s successor. Volodymyr Zelensky estimated in early January 2025 that the republican’s “unpredictability” could help end the war.
