(NewsNation) — With the fall of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, Ret. Maj. Gen. William Enyart tells NewsNation’s “Morning in America” that the closer Russia “approaches to NATO borders, the more danger we face.”
Enyart’s comments come just hours after Russian forces took complete control Saturday of the city that was the focus of intense combat for months.
President Joe Biden said he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in their Saturday phone call that he remains confident Congress will ultimately approve additional funding for Ukraine. But asked if he was confident more U.S. funding would come through before Ukraine loses more territory, Biden acknowledged, “I’m not.”
It’s that uncertainty that has Enyart concerned for the future of Ukraine, and regions beyond.
“I think Ukraine needs wholehearted support from the U.S. and from our European allies,” he said. “They need the ammunition, the gun tubes and the aircraft to do that. They’ve done a remarkable job with the very limited resources and the resources that have trickled into them.”
Much like after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Enyart doesn’t believe President Vladimir Putin will stop trying to expand territory.
“I think they’ll continue to pressure the Ukrainians by amassing troops and amassing artillery and armor and simply wearing down the much smaller Ukrainian forces,” said Enyart. “That’s why we need to supply them with the armor, the artillery, the aircraft and the ammunition so that they can defeat this overwhelming force.”
Along with the invasion’s upcoming anniversary on Feb. 24, Russia also is preparing for a March presidential election that is all but guaranteed to give Putin another six-year term. The Kremlin has cracked down heavily on dissent during the war, and the death Friday of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has silenced the voice of Putin’s most formidable foe.
“Putin is a dictator,” said Enyart. “He wants to reestablish the Russian Empire, the old Soviet Union of his days as a KGB agent. He’s not going to rest until he gets that done.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.