- Ukraine may lose the city of Adviivka to Russia because they’re running out of ammunition.
- National Security Council spokesman John Kirby blamed the House GOP for holding back aid bill.
- The Senate passed a $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan on Tuesday.
Russia might seize the Ukrainian city of Adviivka if the GOP continues to hold back on aid, the White House said on Thursday.
“In very large part, this is happening because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference.
“Russia is sending wave after wave of conscript forces to attack Ukrainian positions,” Kirby continued.
Russia began its attacks on Adviivka in October. For Russia, seizing Adviivka is key to achieving its overall goal of capturing the entire Donetsk region.
And one reason Ukraine is in such a tough position now is because the US hasn’t been able to get military aid to it, Kirby said.
“Because Congress has yet to pass the supplemental bill, we have not been able to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells that they desperately need to disrupt these Russian assaults,” Kirby told journalists.
“The cost of inaction by the Congress is stark. And it’s being born on the shoulders of Ukrainian soldiers,” he said.
The US has been a big backer of the Ukrainian war effort, sending over $44 billion in military assistance since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.
But House Republicans now appear set to block a Senate-approved $60 billion aid deal for Ukraine, which might hand Russia victory in the war.
“We need Congress to pass the national security supplemental bill without further delay,” Kirby said. “If House Republicans do not act soon, what is happening in Avdiivka right now could very well happen elsewhere along that front.”
