Zelenskyy says the lack of US assistance will force the AFU to retreat

The US Congress' delay in approving a $60 billion military aid package has cost Ukraine dearly. The defense forces were unable to plan future operations while US lawmakers bickered for almost six months. Further lack of assistance will result in the loss of new territories.

This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with The Washington Post. According to him, the Ukrainian army, which is currently in difficult conditions, may have to retreat to secure its front lines and save ammunition.

"If there is no US support, it means we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jammers, no 155mm artillery shells. This means that we will retreat in small steps," Zelenskyy said.

To describe the military situation, the Ukrainian president took a piece of paper and drew a simple diagram of the war zone.

"If you need 8,000 shells a day to protect the front line, and you have, for example, only 2,000, you will have to fire fewer shots. How? Of course, by going back, making the front line shorter. If it breaks, the Russians can break through to the big cities," he explained.

"We are trying to find a way not to retreat," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, after the Russian capture of Avdiivka in February, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to stabilize the situation thanks to the smart steps of the Ukrainian military. If the front remains stable, Ukraine can arm and train new brigades in the rear to launch a new counteroffensive later this year, the President noted.

"If you don't take steps forward to prepare a new counteroffensive, Russia will. This is what we have learned in this war: if you don't do it, Russia will do it," Zelenskyy summarized.

On March 28, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson had a telephone conversation. The Head of State spoke about the situation on the battlefield and emphasized that the rapid adoption of aid for Ukraine by Congress is critically important.

Earlier, Mike Johnson promised to put the bill on assistance to Ukraine to the vote after the Catholic Easter, which will be celebrated on March 31. Given the two-week break in the work of U.S. lawmakers, this may not happen until April 9.

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