Without US aid, Ukraine forces will have to retreat - Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview that if Ukraine does not get promised US military aid blocked by disputes in Congress, its forces will have to retreat “in small steps”.
“If there is no US support, it means that we have no air defence, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimetre artillery rounds,” Zelensky told the Washington Post.
“It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps,” he said. “We are trying to find some way not to retreat.”
Shortages of munitions, he said, meant “you have to do with less. How? Of course, to go back. Make the front line shorter. If it breaks, the Russians could go to the big cities.”
In his interview, the Ukrainian president said Ukraine was making up for shortages of missiles with home-produced weaponry and air defence systems, “but it is not enough”.
Much of Ukraine’s east has been under Russian military control since Moscow launched its invasion more than two years ago.
Last month, Kyiv announced its withdrawal from Avdiivka, one of the most fiercely contested towns on its eastern front in recent months.
While its strategic significance is limited, the loss of Avdiivka - taken together with Moscow’s capture of the town of Bakhmut last year - indicates how the war appears to have turned in Russia’s favor.
Uncertainties linger over the US aid bill, which may not look like the $95 billion package the Senate passed, with Republicans keener to see some kind of loan program, while Democrats may have reservations on any additional conditions the Republican may float for the package to pass.