The White House has warned the US Congress that if they do not pass additional aid to Ukraine, which is due to run out by the end of the year, “the likelihood of Russian military victories will increase”.

A proposed package of roughly $60 billion (£48bn) in aid to Ukraine is currently being blocked by a razor thin Republican majority in the lower chamber of Congress. Their preference is to shore up the Mexican border.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders, the Biden administration warned that if this impasse prevails, it will “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield.

The absence of US help next year will also bring into sharp relief European Union underinvestment in support for Ukraine. It could leave Kyiv without substantial military support for the first six months of 2024, according to one EU official who spoke to The Independent.

It comes as the top Ukrainian advisor to president Volodymyr Zelensky said they are redirecting resources to “increase domestic arms production”.

Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on X: “Now all our resources are being directed to increasing domestic arms production and speeding up negotiations with partners to increase supplies of critical equipment for the new stage of offensive operations.”

Key Points

• US is running out of money for Ukraine and that could hinder fight against Russia, White House warns

• Ukraine changing war tactics, says presidential aide

• Putin orders Russian military to increase troop numbers by 170,000

• Moscow repelled on six fronts on battlefield

US is running out of money for Ukraine and that could hinder fight against Russia, White House warns

15:42 , Tom Watling

The Biden administration on Monday sent Congress an urgent warning about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to Ukraine, saying Kyiv’s war effort to defend itself from Russia’s invasion may grind to a halt without it.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders and released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the US will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, saying that would “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield.

She added that the US has already run out of money that it has used to prop up Ukraine‘s economy, and “if Ukraine‘s economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting, full stop.”“We are out of money — and nearly out of time,” she wrote.

Mr Biden has sought a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other needs, but it has faced a difficult reception on Capitol Hill, where there is growing skepticism about the magnitude of assistance for Ukraine and where even Republicans supportive of the funding are insisting on US-Mexico border policy changes to halt the flow of migrants as a condition for the assistance.