Civilians are being moved out of the besieged Azovstal plant that had been targeted by Russian forces, the International Committee of the Red Cross says

Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed confidence on Sunday that a new aid package for Ukraine could pass in Congress relatively quickly.

“I think time is of the essence,” he told ABC’s “This Week,” adding that he believes the next two to three weeks are going to be “very pivotal” in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The Texas Republican said he wished Congress had been presented even earlier with the $33 billion supplemental funding bill for Ukraine aid that President Biden outlined last week.

“I don’t think we have a lot of time to waste in Congress. I wish we’d had this a little bit sooner, but we have it now,” he said, telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that if it were up to him, he would call the House back from recess this week to pass the aid legislation.

On Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led an official congressional delegation to Kyiv, where the group discussed humanitarian and financial assistance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Every day we don’t send [Ukraine] more weapons is a day where more people will be killed and a day where they could lose this war. I think they can win it. But we have to give them the tools to do it,” he explained.

Pressed on the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin may resort to using nuclear weapons, McCaul answered “that’s always a concern.”

He said he thinks Russia’s potential use of a chemical weapon or tactical nuclear weapon would be “beyond the pale” and “crosses a red line.”

If that happens, he said, the US and allies would have to respond “in kind.”

On the Senate side, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez told Fox that they could take up the bill “either this week or next.”

“Either this week, or the next of course, if there is consensus, if there is an agreement, as you know, anything can go through the Senate through unanimous consent,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “If somehow there is a desire to start picking it apart or having amendments to it, it could last longer, but time is of the essence.”