Lloyd Austin has arrived within the Ukrainian capital to reaffirm “steadfast help” amid issues about US navy support
US Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin has arrived in Kiev on an unannounced go to, the Pentagon mentioned on Monday. He held conferences with the Ukrainian management to offer reassurance about Washington’s dedication to offering navy help to Ukraine, the assertion mentioned. Nevertheless, no particular new support packages had been introduced.
“I’m right here at present to ship an essential message – america will proceed to face with Ukraine,” Austin wrote in a publish on X (previously Twitter) as he shared a photograph of himself being welcomed by the Ukrainian officers at a railway station in Kiev.
Later, he additionally mentioned he had held talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and as soon as once more promised “america’ steadfast help for Ukraine.” He added that Washington and its allies would offer for each the Ukrainian forces’ “pressing battlefield wants and long-term protection necessities.”
Neither Austin nor the Pentagon talked about any particular new commitments relating to navy help for Kiev. The US Division of Protection solely mentioned that the discussions in Kiev had been targeted on making certain that Kiev’s troops have the “battlefield capabilities they want” for the upcoming winter and past.
Two weeks in the past, the Pentagon mentioned solely round $1 billion {dollars} is left for navy help for Ukraine. Washington has spent round 95% of its earlier funding for Kiev, Division of Protection deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh mentioned on the time. It urged Congress to move a brand new spending invoice on Ukrainian support so provides can proceed, including that it will in any other case should ration future deliveries. No such laws has been adopted to date.
Earlier this week, Zelensky’s prime aide, Mikhail Podoliak, criticized what he referred to as the gradual supply of Western weapons. Help deliveries are taking between “90 or 120 days” as a substitute of the “seven to 10 days” promised by Washington and its allies, he mentioned.
A senior Russian MP referred to as Austin’s go to a “mission of ethical help.” The Pentagon chief’s important aim in Kiev was to stop Washington’s pet “anti-Russia challenge” from collapsing and reassure the “puppet regime” in Ukraine of America’s help, Leonid Slutsky, the top of the Russian State Duma’s Overseas Affairs Committee, wrote in a Telegram publish.
Russian Protection Minister Sergey Shoigu additionally mentioned earlier this month that “regardless of the provision of latest sorts of NATO weapons, the Kiev regime is dropping.” The Ukrainian troops have been waging a serious counteroffensive operation since early June, which has did not result in any tangible outcomes to date regardless of ample Western navy help. Ukraine’s losses within the assault have amounted to greater than 90,000 troops, in addition to about 600 tanks and a couple of,000 armored autos, in accordance with the Russian minister.
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