US president warns of further loss of territory to Ukraine unless Congress resumes military aid.
US President Joe Biden has assured Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he is confident Congress will resume military aid to repel Russian forces after Ukrainian forces captured the Avdiivka stronghold. Stated.
“I spoke with Mr. Zelensky this afternoon and told him I am confident we can get the funding,” Biden told reporters on Saturday.
Biden is confident that another Ukrainian city will not fall to Russian forces without U.S. help, calling it “unreasonable” and “unethical” for lawmakers not to approve a new military aid package. “Target.”
“I think it goes against everything we are as a country,” he said.
Biden spoke by phone with Zelenskiy hours after Russia announced the capture of Avdiivka following the earlier withdrawal of Kiev forces, which the Ukrainian leader called “a professional decision that will save the lives of many Ukrainians.” He said that.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the capture of the industrial center of Avdiivka, about 10 kilometers north of the city of Donetsk, as an “important victory” in the war, which is nearly two years old.
In a statement after the call, the White House said Ukrainian troops withdrew after “reducing supplies due to Congressional inaction forced us to ration ammunition, resulting in Russia's first significant military victory in months.” .
In a post on Telegram after the phone call, President Zelenskiy said he was “glad to be able to count on the full support of the President of the United States” and trusted in “the wise decisions of the American Congress.”
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also accused Republicans of “political gamesmanship” in withholding aid on Saturday after meeting with President Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Democrats and Republicans are sharply divided over continued aid to Kiev, with former President Donald Trump's allies insisting that the money be spent on domestic issues such as border security.
The U.S. Senate passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this week, but the bill faces a difficult path in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the bill for failing to address security at the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it “the most pressing issue facing our country” and calling for the House to quickly approve the aid. He claimed that there was no such thing.
On Friday, Biden criticized House Republicans for going into a two-week recess, saying “it's time to step up” and allaying concerns that the U.S. is a reliable ally.