White House Says Avdiivka May Fall to Russia Due to Ukraine Lacking Ammo

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby on Thursday said Russia is close to claiming control of Avdiivka due to Ukraine's lack of artillery shells.

"Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control. In very large part, this is happening because Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition," Kirby said during a press briefing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's armed forces have been attempting to seize control of Avdiivka—a city in Ukraine's Donetsk oblast that's considered to hold strategic value—for months. Though Russia's military has sustained heavy personnel and equipment losses in the effort, it is reportedly close to capturing the settlement.

Kyiv has sent reinforcements to Avdiivka in recent days to thwart, or at least slow down, Russia's offensive there.

"The main goal is to force Russia to pay as much as possible for capturing this location," Ivan Stupak, a former officer in the Security Service of Ukraine and now an adviser to the Ukrainian parliament's national security, defense and intelligence committee, told Newsweek for a previous story. "But at the same time, we've also got very severe casualties from our soldiers."

According to Kirby, Ukraine's defenses could come up short due to the resources Moscow is devoting toward taking Avdiivka.

"Russia is sending wave after wave of conscript forces to attack Ukrainian positions, and because Congress is yet to pass the supplemental bill, we've not been able to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells that they desperately need to disrupt these Russian assaults," Kirby said.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Thursday night for further comment.

The U.S. has been the biggest donor to Ukraine throughout the war launched by Putin on February 24, 2022, but additional aid has stalled in Congress recently. Though the Senate approved a bill this week that includes $60 billion for Ukraine, the legislation could face more opposition from the GOP-led House of Representatives.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has already stated he opposes the bill due to it not containing measures related to addressing security on the southern border of the United States.

Various members of the Biden administration have called on Congress to support the bill, including U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

"We cannot afford to wait any longer. Every day comes at a cost to the people of Ukraine and to the national security interests of the United States of America," Sullivan said of the Ukraine-funding legislation during a Wednesday press briefing.

He added: "The stakes are getting higher. The costs of inaction are also getting higher every day."

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