The Biden administration blames Congress for the fall of the Ukrainian city
The Biden administration said Saturday that the Ukrainian military withdrawal from Avdiivka was the result of Congress' failure to provide additional money to support Kiev's war effort.
Ukraine ordered a withdrawal from the eastern city of Avdiivka before dawn on Saturday, the first major battlefield loss since Bakhmut's fall last year.
“These are the costs of congressional inaction,” said National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson. “The Ukrainians continue to fight bravely, but they are running out of supplies.”
The Senate passed a $60.1 billion military aid package for Ukraine this week, but the measure faces an uncertain fate in the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated he has no plans to vote on it. The Biden administration has pushed for additional funding for months, arguing that Ukraine is running low on artillery, air defense weapons and other munitions.
Ms. Watson said the House should approve the Senate measure.
“It is critical that the House approve additional funding for Ukraine without delay so that we can provide Ukraine with the artillery ammunition and other critical equipment they need to defend their country,” she said.
Aid advocates are exploring ways to force a vote on the Senate bill, which also includes aid to Israel and Taiwan as well as humanitarian aid to Palestinians, or to create a package that would require the approval of Mr. Johnson could win.
On Thursday, senior national security official John F. Kirby said the Ukrainian battle in Avdiivka was the result of a shortage of artillery ammunition.
The US could not send additional artillery shells to Ukraine because Congress had not authorized more funding, Mr Kirby said. As a result, the Ukrainian armed forces were unable to successfully counter the waves of troops that Russia sent to the city.
Mr Kirby said that without additional aid to Ukraine, the Russian advance in Avdiivka would be repeated in other parts of the front. U.S. officials have also warned that supplies of air defense munitions will be strained in March, allowing more Russian missiles and Iranian drones to hit targets in Kiev and other population centers.
It is not clear whether the losses in eastern Ukraine will be enough to make Republicans skeptical about sending additional funding to Kiev. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have said they have never heard of a plan for Ukraine to turn the tide on the battlefield, even if supplies were replenished.
Government officials admit that even with more weapons, it will be difficult for Ukraine to regain all the land it has lost. But, they added, a well-supplied Ukraine could put more pressure on Russia and ultimately be in a better position for peace negotiations.