“There’s a lot of things that Ukraine wants that we didn't do,” Biden stated at a press conference on Wednesday after the US Congressional elections.
“For example, I was asked very much whether we’d provide American aircraft to guarantee the skies over Ukraine," Biden told reporters.
He added: "I said, 'No, we’re not going to do that. We’re not going to get into a third world war, taking on Russian aircraft and directly engage.' But would we provide them with all — the rational ability to defend themselves? Yes."
His words came after some members of the Republican Party said they would limit funding to Ukraine if they gained control of one or both houses of the American legislature, according to news reports.
According to forecasts, the Republican Party may win a slim majority in the House of Representatives, while the Democrats have a significant chance of retaining power in the Senate.
At the conference, Biden also told reporters that he expected American aid to Ukraine to continue uninterrupted.
“And by the way, we've not given Ukraine a blank check,” he added, noting that the United States also refused to deliver long-range HIMARS missiles to avoid “bombing Russian territory.”
Russian forces withdraw from Ukraine’s Kherson
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday ordered Russian troops stationed in Kherson City to withdraw to the east bank of the Dnipro River in the wake of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Shoygu issued the order after a report by the commander of Russian troops in Ukraine, Gen. Sergei Surovikin.
Surovikin said that “logistical maintenance of Kherson and the surrounding towns is no longer possible.” He proposed establishing defensive lines on the east bank of the Dnieper, closer to the Crimean peninsula, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP