Washington - President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday for an additional $33 billion to support Ukraine. The move can be seen as a signal that the U.S. is prepared to mount a robust, long-term campaign to bolster Kyiv and weaken Moscow as the bloody war enters its third month with no sign of abating.

"We need this bill to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom," Biden said at the White House. "The cost of this fight - it's not cheap - but caving to aggression is going to be more costly."

The funding request includes over $20 billion for weapons, ammunition and other military assistance, as well as $8.5 billion in direct economic assistance to the government and $3 billion in humanitarian and food security aid.

The request comes with the fighting, now in its ninth week, sharpening in eastern and southern parts of the country and international tensions growing as Russia cuts off gas supplies to two NATO allies, Poland and Bulgaria.

Biden said the new package “begins the transition to longer-term security assistance” for Ukraine.

The United States and its European allies have frozen $30 billion of assets held by wealthy individuals with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including yachts, helicopters, real estate and art, the Biden administration has said.

Biden says that in an effort to aid Poland and Bulgaria - after Russia cut off gas supplies to them yesterday - the US will work with allies and may divert the sale of natural gas to them.

The British government advised against all travel to Ukraine on news that a UK national was killed and another Briton is missing in Ukraine.

The UK Foreign Office provided no details of what the duo was doing in Ukraine in its statement.

In the early days of the war, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she supported individuals from the UK who might want to go to Ukraine to fight but the government later advised against this.
-BBC/AP/Reuters