Joe Biden has assured Volodymyr Zelensky of expedited delivery of new military assistance to Ukraine following the passage of a $61 billion support package by US lawmakers.

The House of Representatives finally approved the bill on Saturday after encountering months of political deadlock.

President Biden pledged substantial backing for Kyiv, including additional air defense systems, contingent upon the anticipated Senate approval of the bill on Tuesday.

These assurances come amid reports of Russian attacks that resulted in the destruction of a TV tower in Kharkiv. Video footage captured the tower's collapse moments after Russian missiles struck it on Monday afternoon in the eastern Ukrainian city, situated just 19 miles (30km) from the Russian border.

Local authorities confirmed no casualties in the attack, with regional Governor Oleg Syniehubov informing via social media that staff were safely sheltered at the time. However, he noted that the attack had disrupted television broadcasting in the region.

Kharkiv has faced relentless aerial assaults from Russian forces in recent weeks. President Zelensky, in a social media post following the attack, condemned it as part of Russia's deliberate effort to render the city uninhabitable.

He also informed President Biden of the strike, which occurred shortly before their scheduled call on Monday.

In a statement released by the White House regarding the call, President Biden reiterated his administration's steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.

The White House further outlined Biden's pledge to assist Ukraine in maintaining financial stability, rebuilding critical infrastructure post-Russia attacks, and supporting reform efforts as Ukraine progresses toward Euro-Atlantic integration.

The aid package approved by the House includes over $9 billion in economic assistance, provided in the form of forgivable loans that do not require repayment.

Mr. Zelensky welcomed Biden's assurances, with a top aide to the Ukrainian leader, Mykhailo Podolyak, expressing gratitude for the renewed US support, which has bolstered the morale of the war-weary nation.

But Moscow has enjoyed significant momentum in the conflict in recent weeks, notching up a series of victories in the east of the country.

And Mr Zelensky has warned that Russia will likely seek a major battlefield success ahead of Victory Day - a state holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany - on 9 May.

He suggested that Moscow could seek to seize Chasiv Yar, a small town in the Donetsk region, ahead of the holiday. Chasiv Yar lies just west of Bakhmut, the ruined city captured by Russia last year after months of bl**dy fighting.

Military commanders in Kyiv have said Chasiv Yar, which has been virtually emptied of its pre-war population, would open up a path towards the Ukrainian-held cities of Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk if captured by Moscow's forces.

Russia's defense ministry also claimed it had seized the town of Novomykhailivka, also in the Donetsk region, on Monday. The BBC cannot independently verify the claim, and Ukrainian defense officials said earlier that their forces had held back Russian advances on the village.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, told the BBC's Ukrainian service on Monday that Kyiv's forces faced "a rather difficult situation" in the coming weeks.

Lt Gen Budanov conceded that the Russian seizure of the town of Avdiivka was "a real success" for them. But he said while the battlefield situation may worsen in the coming weeks for Ukraine, it would not be "catastrophic".

"Armageddon will not happen," he added.

President Biden also spoke to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.

In a readout of the call released by her office, Ms von der Leyen said the pair discussed "their steadfast support for Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression" and "how sustained international support is vital to Ukraine's fight for freedom".

Meanwhile in Moscow, a Russian man has been sentenced to five years of "correctional labour" for providing a comment critical of the invasion of Ukraine to a US publication.

Yuri Kokhovets was accused of spreading "fakes about the army" for providing a quote critical of the war and President Vladimir Putin to the US-funded Radio Free Europe in February 2022.

It is the first known prosecution of a Russian citizen for expressing an opinion to a foreign journalist.

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