AFP18 April 2024 | 10:37

Kremlin says US aid for Ukraine won't change military situation

Ukraine has struggled on the battlefield for months, outgunned and outnumbered by Russian forces amid a shortage of Western arms.

Kremlin says US aid for Ukraine won't change military situation

Russia vs Ukraine illustration. Picture: Melnyk58/123rf.com

MOSCOW - Russia said Thursday that fresh US aid for Ukraine will not change anything on the battlefield, as Washington gears up for a crucial weekend vote on long-stalled military funding for Kyiv.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he would advance a $61 billion package of funding for Ukraine, stalled since last year amid political infighting in the Republican Party.

Ukraine has struggled on the battlefield for months, outgunned and outnumbered by Russian forces amid a shortage of Western arms.

The Kremlin said Thursday it was not bothered by the prospect of a fresh injection of Western arms.

"It won't in any way influence the development of the situation on the front," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday.

"All experts now assert that the situation on the front is very unfavourable for the Ukrainian side. Therefore it will not be able to change anything," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the months-long delay has cost Ukraine lives and territory.

Washington is Kyiv's most important military backer.