US General Christopher Cavoli, the commander of the joint NATO Armed Forces in Europe, has said that Russia poses a "chronic threat" to the world and further assistance to Ukraine in repelling the Russian aggression is crucial.

US General Christopher Cavoli said at a meeting of the Armed Forces Committee of the US House of Representatives that more than two years after the large-scale invasion, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin shows no signs of stopping the aggression.

"Russia does not intend to stop with Ukraine. Russia presents a chronic threat… We're facing challenging times, to say the least, in the European theater," Cavoli stated, adding that the European Command is responding to the threat of NATO by strengthening its forces and deterrents across the continent.

He stated that Russian troops in Ukraine are destroying cities and taking the lives of innocent people on a scale "we have not seen since the Second World War."

The general also expressed concern about Russia's dependence on China, Iran and North Korea to support its military campaign in Ukraine.

"These countries are forming interlocking, strategic partnerships in an attempt to challenge the existing order. This is profoundly inimical to U.S. national interests," Cavoli said.

He also warned that without the support of Ukraine by the United States, Russia's advantage in artillery on the battlefield would increase even more.

In addition, Cavoli warned that without further American support, artillery shells and air defenсe interceptors would run out in Ukraine "in fairly short order".