Ukraine will run out of ammunition and air defense interceptor missiles "in fairly short order" without further support from the U.S., said General Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. commander in Europe, in comments during a congressional hearing on April 10.
Cavoli's statement was the latest in a series of increasingly pointed warnings about how the ongoing delay in U.S. aid is weakening Ukraine's position on the battlefield.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 7 that "Ukraine will lose the war" if Congress fails to approve military aid to Kyiv. Ukraine is facing an ongoing ammunition shortage in the absence of further support.
Cavoli said that Russian forces were firing five shells for every one that Ukraine fired — a disparity which he warned could increase to 10 to one in coming weeks — and emphasized the centrality of U.S. aid in Ukraine's ability to defend itself.
"(Ukraine is) really dependent this year on us...and without our support, they will not be able to prevail."
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has been unwilling to bring an aid bill containing about $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine to a vote, even though the Senate passed it in February.
Top Republican officials reportedly said that a vote on the aid for Ukraine in Congress might still be weeks away despite Johnson's assertion on April 1 that it would be held "right after Easter."
In comments at the same hearing on April 10, Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin criticized Johnson's refusal to bring the aid to a vote, saying he should put on his "big boy pants" and make the tough choice.
Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene has threatened to oust Johnson from his position if he allows a vote on Ukraine aid.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
