Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to send firefighters to California to help combat the ongoing wildfires, just days after Donald Trump’s eldest son attempted to blame Ukraine over the response to the disaster.
The Ukrainian president’s comments came as the death toll from the LA wildfires reached 24, and forecasters issued fresh warnings of dangerous weather, with the return of strong winds this week.
In his evening address, posted on X, Zelensky said 150 firefighters “are already prepared” for a possible deployment to the US.
“Today, I instructed Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs and our diplomats to prepare for the possible participation of our rescuers in combating the wildfires in California,” he said.
He continued: “The situation there is extremely difficult, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives. This is currently being coordinated, and we have offered our assistance to the American side through the relevant channels.”
Last week, Donald Trump Jr appeared to suggest the response to the wildfires had been hampered by support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
“Oh look of course the LA fire department donated a bunch of their supplies to Ukraine,” he said in a post on X, which shared an article from March 2022 about extra equipment being sent to help first responders in the war-torn country.
President-elect Donald Trump has also levelled criticism at authorities over the response to the wildfires, accusing “incompetent” politicians of having “no idea” how to put them out.
“This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has urged him to witness the devastation firsthand.
“I called for him to come out, take a look for himself. We want to do it in the spirit of an open hand, not a closed fist. He’s the President-elect,” he told NBC.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions to Wednesday, with sustained winds and gusts in the mountains reaching up to 70 mph (113 kph).
The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.
Around 150,000 people in Los Angeles County are still under evacuation orders.
Officials said most of the orders in the Palisades area were unlikely to be lifted before the red flag warnings expires on Wednesday evening.
“You’re going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there,” Thompson said at a community meeting Saturday night.
LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said 70 additional water trucks have arrived to help firefighters fend off flames spread by renewed gusts.
Fierce Santa Anas have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires sparked last week into infernos that leveled entire neighbourhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.
Officials say they expect the death toll to increase as teams with cadaver dogs conduct systematic grid searches.
With agencies
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