London, Apr 18 (EFE).- Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday warned of World War lll should Kyiv fail in its ongoing war against Russia as he urged the US Congress to swiftly approve a much-needed aid package for Ukraine.

During an interview with BBC in Washington, Shmyhal expressed “careful optimism” regarding the approval of a long-stalled foreign aid bill by US lawmakers, which includes a $61 billion fund earmarked for Ukraine.

“We need this money yesterday, not tomorrow, not today,” Shmyhal stressed, underscoring Ukraine’s heavy reliance on Western aid in its battle against Russian aggression.

“Russia must lose this war and the aggressor should be punished.”

“If Ukraine will fall (…) the global system of security will be destroyed. There will be many conflicts, many such kinds of wars, and in the end of the day, it could lead to the Third World War,” he warned.

In a separate statement on X, formerly Twitter, Shmyhal said that he had met with US congressional members to stress the “critical role” of US support in bolstering Kyiv’s defense against Russian aggression.

“Arms, air defense, budget support, confiscation of Russian assets … (were) the main topics of our dialogue,” he said.

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on the aid package, which also includes funds for Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, on Saturday.

President Joe Biden has recently said that he would immediately sign the aid package into law once passed by congress, following months of legislative delays. EFE

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