U.S. President Joe Biden urged the West on Friday to sustain its support for Ukraine against as Kyiv faces a bleak winter, and a looming U.S. presidential election raises worries about the strength of Washington's own resolve.

Biden was speaking to reporters before holding closed-door talks with ally German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a one-day trip to Berlin to discuss matters ranging from Ukraine to the expanding conflict in the Middle East.

"As Ukraine faces a tough winter, we must, we must sustain our resolve," Biden said in a statement. "And I know the cost is heavy, but make no mistake, it bears in comparison to the cost of living in a world where aggression prevails, where large states attack and bully smaller ones simply because they can."

He said he would discuss with Scholz efforts to increase military support for Ukraine and shore up its civilian energy infrastructure "by unlocking the value of frozen Russian assets". They would also discuss the Middle East conflict.

Biden told reporters before departing Germany that there was no consensus for giving Ukraine long-range weapons that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been requesting from Western nations for months to conduct deeper strikes into Russia.

"Right now, there's no consensus for long-range weapons," Biden said.

Biden's trip comes just 2-1/2 weeks before the U.S. presidential vote, in which former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, is seeking reelection in a close race against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.