United States Aid Package Still Stuck in Congress, President Zelensky: There Needs Political Will

President Zelensky with US President Joe Biden at the White House. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday called on Ukraine's Western partners to muster the political will to provide Kyiv with the military supplies it needs or the world will face "one of the most embarrassing pages in history."

President Zelensky made his call because the United States' package to provide military aid and other aid was still hampered by differences of opinion in Congress.

As the war turned two years old last month, Russian forces managed to make some progress on a 1,000 km (600 mile) front, although the battle lines have not changed much in months.

A clearly angry President Zelensky, speaking in his evening video address, said the world must "react decisively" to ensure war becomes a "hopeless" endeavor for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who wants only "war and death."

"They must be made to feel as fully as possible that there is a force destroying them that is destroying lives. We can confirm that. Each of our partners knows what is needed," he said, as reported by Reuters, March 4.

"The main thing is the political will to make this happen, to secure a level of supply that will help," he said.

"If this is not the case, it will be one of the most embarrassing pages in history, if America or Europe loses to Iranian "Shahed" (drone) or Russian fighter jets," he said.

Ukraine, he said, "is waiting for urgently needed supplies and we are waiting, in particular, for an American decision whose support is urgently needed."

President Zelensky has become increasingly forceful in his calls for the US Congress to approve the aid.

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives is under pressure to pass a $95 billion national security package that increases aid to Ukraine and Israel as well as the Indo-Pacific.

The legislation passed the Senate in a 70-29 vote last month, but House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to bring the relief bill up for a vote in the House.