The US president warns of further losses of Ukrainian territory if Congress does not renew military aid.
US President Joe Biden has said he has assured Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he trusts Congress to renew military aid to repel Russia after its forces captured the Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka.
“I spoke to Zelenskyy this afternoon to let him know that I was confident we would get that money,” Biden told reporters on Saturday.
Biden said he had no confidence that another Ukrainian city would not fall to Russian forces without US support and that it would be “absurd” and “unethical” for lawmakers not to approve a new military aid package.
“I find it contrary to everything we are as a country,” he said.
Biden spoke with Zelenskyy in a call hours after Russia announced the capture of Avdiivka following the earlier withdrawal of kyiv forces, which the Ukrainian leader described as “a professional decision that will save many Ukrainian lives.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the capture of Avdiivka, an industrial center about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) north of the city of Donetsk, as a “major victory” in the war, approaching the two years.
The White House said in a statement after the call that Ukrainian forces withdrew after being forced to “ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, resulting in Russia's first notable advances in months”.
Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post after the call that he was “glad to be able to count on the full support of the American president” and that he had faith in the “wise decision of the US Congress.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris also took aim at Republicans for delaying aid on Saturday, accusing them of “political cunning” after meeting Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Democrats and Republicans have been deeply divided over continued support for kyiv, with allies of former US President Donald Trump insisting the funds be spent on domestic issues, including border security.
While the US Senate earlier this week approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, the bill faces a difficult road 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, which he described as the “most pressing issue facing our country,” and insisted that the House will not rush to approve aid.
On Friday, Biden criticized House Republicans for taking a two-week recess and said it was “time for them to step up” and allay concerns about the United States being a reliable ally.
