Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned down an offer by Washington to help evacuate him from Ukraine, US media outlets say.
Mr Zelensky said “the fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride”, the Associated Press reported, citing a senior intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation.
The Washington Post had also quoted US and Ukrainian officials who said that the US government was prepared to help Mr Zelensky.
Mr Zelensky has been widely praised on social media for his response to the Russian invasion. The former comedian and actor had earlier given a moving speech in which he vowed to keep fighting, saying: “When you attack us, you will see our faces. Not our backs.”
He had also posted a self-shot video earlier on Friday showing him and his key aides in the capital, rebuffing reports that he had fled Kyiv.
“We’re all here,” he said. “And it will stay this way.”
