Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said the Russian army had "managed to seize the initiative on the battlefield" while Ukraine was waiting for a decision on fresh U.S. assistance.
A U.S. bill containing billions in military and humanitarian funding for Ukraine was signed into law earlier this week after more than four months of delay. Zelenskyy said it would allow Kyiv's forces to stabilize the frontline and move forward with its war aims.
The Pentagon says its deliveries of weapons are on their way and will arrive in the coming days, if not sooner.
Russian officials have hit back at the news, saying the new arms provisions will harm the region's security but will not bring Ukraine any closer to defeating Russia.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had some strong words for China, saying Beijing must end its support for Russia's war in Ukraine if it wants better relations with the West, and that it cannot have it "both ways."
Elsewhere, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had expressed Washington's "serious concern" over Chinese trade flows being used to boost Moscow's military capabilities during his meetings with top Chinese officials in Beijing on Friday.
Blinken said the U.S. was "fully prepared to take additional measures" targeting Chinese entities linked to Russian military equipment.