CIA chief: Without US arms, Ukraine faces grim 2024 against Russia

"With the boost that would come from military assistance, both practically and psychologically, I think the Ukrainians are entirely capable of holding their own through 2024. Without supplemental assistance, the picture is a lot more dire," Burns stated in a speech at the George Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, as reported by CNN.

In Burns' view, the risk that Ukraine could lose the war without American support is "very real".

The intelligence agency head did not specify the nature of a Ukrainian defeat but suggested that it could mean Russian occupation of significant Ukrainian territories and the "freezing" of the conflict along the current front line, similarly to the Russian annexation of Crimea and the seizure by Russia of a large part of Donbas in 2014, according to CNN.

"The Ukrainians were overwhelmed, and it wasn’t for lack of bravery or determination on their part, and my worry is that we’re going to see more Avdiivkas (a town in the Donetsk region overtaken by aggressors in February) in the future without supplemental assistance," Burns said.

President Joe Biden endorsed on Wednesday three bill proposals put forward by Republicans in the House of Representatives supporting Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. He urged both chambers of Congress to process these proposals quickly and announced his intention to sign them immediately. Washington is set to allocate £49 billion to supporting Ukraine.

Without the support of the United States, and especially without a decision by Congress to provide military support, Ukraine would struggle to not only win the war but even maintain its statehood - President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine revealed during a video conference with ambassadors from the United24 platform on April 7th, GMT. This was the most alarmist and pessimistic statement from the Ukrainian leader since the beginning of the Russian aggression in February 2022.