Ukraine will not only suffer defeat in its conflict with Russia without the support of the United States, but even face a direct threat to its very existence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.
"Without this support of Congress it will be difficult for us not only to win, even to stay," Zelensky said in his address to members of an international initiative to support Ukraine, stressing the need to tell the US Congress directly about the fact and ask it for help.
Last week, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he intended to advance Ukraine aid legislation when the House of Representatives returns to Washington on April 9 from a district work period. The legislation could include measures to fund Ukraine with loans or seized Russian assets, Johnson said.
The push in the US Congress to pass Ukraine aid comes amid warnings from US President Joe Biden's administration and Kiev that Ukrainian troops could be forced to retreat without further foreign assistance.
However, Johnson so far has rejected calls from Democrats and Biden to put the February supplemental bill to a vote.
Moscow has said time and again that arms and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine only prolong the ongoing conflict and result in increasing casualties among Ukrainian troops. Furthermore, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, any cargo carrying Ukrainian weaponry is considered a legitimate target for Russia.