The White House budget chief warned the US Congress that failure to agree on fresh funds for Ukraine by the end of the year would “kneecap” Kyiv on the battlefield, AFP reports.

In a letter to the House Speaker, the director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young said time was rapidly running out to support Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion.

Casting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hamas as twin forces trying to “annihilate” neighbouring democracies, Biden has sought to tie $61 billion for Ukraine with $14 billion for Israel in the aid package he demanded in October.