Volodymyr Zelensky: We are facing retreat if the United States does not provide us with military aid

"Ukrainian forces will have to cede more territory to Russia if US military aid does not arrive soon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in an interview with the Washington Post.

President Joe Biden's administration has been struggling to push through the House of Representatives a $95 billion (BGN 174 billion) international aid package, which also includes $60 billion (BGN 110 billion) for Ukraine, for more than a month after its passage in the Senate.

Zelensky warned that the lack of aid is urgent and could endanger major cities in Ukraine.

"If there is no US support, that means we have no air defenses, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jammers, no 155mm artillery shells," he told WP during a recent interview published Friday. "It means we will go back, we will retreat, step by step, with small steps."

According to him, Kiev will be forced to do less and prioritize resources, and the reduction could have consequences.

"If you need 8,000 shells a day to protect the front line, and you only have, say, 2,000 shells, you need to do less," he explained, saying the solution could include cutting the front line.

"If it is interrupted, the Russians will be able to target the big cities."

Much of eastern Ukraine has been under Russian military control since Moscow began its invasion more than two years ago.

Last month, Kiev announced its withdrawal from Avdeevka, where the fiercest fighting on the eastern front took place in recent months.

Although its strategic importance is limited, the loss of Avdeevka, along with Moscow's capture of the city of Bakhmut last year, shows how the war appears to have turned in Russia's favor.

Russia has recently stepped up its attacks on Ukraine's border villages, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised the issue of creating a "sanitary zone" in Ukraine to protect the southwestern regions of his country.

"We wasted half a year while Congress argued. We can't waste any more time. Ukraine cannot be a political dispute between the parties," Zelensky said in the WP interview.

He also emphasizes that aid critics in Congress do not understand the stakes in this war.

"If Ukraine falls, Russian President Vladimir Putin will divide the world into friends and enemies of Russia," Volodymyr Zelensky believes.