Zelenskiy: Ukrainian forces will have to withdraw 'in small steps' without US aid

(Patria) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Friday that if Ukraine does not receive the promised US military aid blocked by disputes in Congress, its forces will have to withdraw "in small steps", agencies report.

"If there is no US support, that means we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jammers, no 155-millimeter artillery shells," he told the Washington Post.

"That means we go backward, retreat step by step, in small steps," he said. "We are trying to find a way not to retreat," he added.

Russia outnumbers Ukrainian forces six to one on the front lines, causing losses of troops and positions, Ukraine's newly appointed commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said in a rare interview published on Friday.

"A few days ago, the enemy's advantage in terms of fired ammunition was about six to one," Syrsky told the Ukrinform news agency.

"The defense forces are now carrying out tasks along the entire large front line, with little or no weapons and ammunition," he warned, saying the situation is "tense" in some areas.

Ukraine expects the United States Congress to pass a $60 billion military aid package for Kyiv that has been stalled for a long time.