Russia says new U.S. aid to Ukraine will not change situation on battlefield

[April 22, 2024]  MOSCOW (Reuters) - A new U.S. package of military aid to Ukraine will not change the situation on the front lines, where Russia has the upper hand, the Kremlin said on Monday.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday approved more than $60 billion in new aid for Ukraine which has been held up in Congress for months, causing Kyiv's forces to run low on ammunition.

A serviceman of the 1148th separate artillery brigade of Air Assault Troops of Ukraine prepares a M777 howitzer to fire towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine April 20, 2024. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS/File Photo

"The Russian armed forces are improving their positions at the front... The money allocated and the weapons that will be supplied will not change this dynamic," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"They will lead to new victims on the Ukrainian side. More Ukrainians will die, Ukraine will suffer greater losses."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday urged Washington to quickly turn the bill into law and proceed with the actual transfer of weapons, saying long-range arms and air defense systems were top priorities.

"I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and we will have a chance for victory," Zelenskiy said.

Russia says the U.S. defense industry will be the real beneficiary of the package.

"We also recognize that most of this money will remain in the United States. The United States will become richer and will receive additional dividends by providing assistance to Ukraine. For (President Vladimir) Putin, this was expected," Peskov said.

(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan)

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