Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine will have to retreat step by step if Washington does not provide assistance to Kiev, according to an op-ed in the Washington Post on Friday.
"If there is no US, support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimeter artillery rounds," he said. "It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps."
Zelensky also said that Ukraine does not have enough interceptors and other air-defense weapons.
"That's true. I don't want Russia to know what number of air-defense missiles we have, but basically, you're right," he said. "Without the support of Congress, we will have a big deficit of missiles. This is the problem. We are increasing our own air-defense systems, but it is not enough."
Zelensky shared that Ukraine is trying to find some way not to retreat.
Congress has been deadlocked for months over a foreign aid supplemental bill that would provide funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. While the Senate approved a $95 billion version of the bill last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring it to the House floor for a vote.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that sending arms and ammunition to Ukraine only prolongs the ongoing conflict and leads to more and more losses among Ukrainian soldiers. Moreover, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.
Lavrov also stated earlier that the conflict in Ukraine is a lucrative business project for the US, as the continued military assistance to the East European country brings money to the treasury and creates new jobs in the US.