WASHINGTON, October 16. /TASS/. In an interview with CBS, aired on Sunday, US President Joe Biden said that Washington supported Ukraine in order to avoid getting embroiled in a wider war in Europe.

One of his objectives in Ukraine, Biden told the US TV network, was to prevent his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, "from being able to occupy an independent country that borders NATO allies and is on the Russian border." "Have you ever known a major war in Europe we didn't get sucked into? We don't want that to happen," Biden said.

"We want to make sure those democracies are sustained. And Ukraine is critical in making sure that happens," the US leader added.

A number of US Republican congressmen have publicly voiced their resistance to any new initiatives calling for a future large aid package for Ukraine. In addition, against the backdrop of the latest escalation of tensions in the Middle East, some Republicans in Congress have put the urgent need for aiding Israel ahead of Ukraine.