Pentagon chief unveils $400 million in Ukraine aid during Kyiv visit

U.S. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin made an unannounced go to to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on Monday, the place he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and unveiled a bundle of $400 million in safety help — the second such bundle inside per week.

The help consists of artillery and different munitions, armored autos and anti-tank weapons just like the shoulder-launched Javelin system.

Austin introduced the help in a gathering with Zelenskyy, who final week outlined a proposal to finish the struggle.

This “victory plan,” as Zelenskyy calls it, would require enduring Western help, notably NATO membership and the long-term dedication of safety help. The U.S. has up to now resisted issuing an instantaneous invitation for Ukraine to affix the alliance, together with one other prime precedence for Kyiv: the permission to fireplace western weapons deep into Russian territory.

In a social media publish after the assembly with Austin, Zelenskyy mentioned that the 2 mentioned air protection and “the growth of long-range weapon use towards Russian army targets.” In a $425 million bundle introduced final week, the White Home dedicated to sending “a whole lot” of significant air protection interceptors within the coming months.

Regardless of such help, Zelenskyy’s proposal is an indication of how Ukraine views the state of the struggle. The Ukrainian president nonetheless publicly requires regaining all territory misplaced to Russia, going again to the 2014 seizure of Crimea. However as Moscow’s forces steadily advance in japanese Ukraine and reclaim territory misplaced in Russia’s Kursk province, the way forward for the struggle seems more and more bleak for Kyiv.

In an October briefing, senior Pentagon officers mentioned Russia’s casualties had been accelerating within the east and had reached 600,000 all through the struggle.

Austin’s journey to Kyiv marks his fourth go to to Ukraine and certain his final as secretary of protection. Aiding Ukraine’s protection has been a signature achievement throughout his tenure. The U.S. has despatched Ukraine over $61 billion in safety help within the final two and a half years, and Austin has helped coordinate the help of different international locations by means of a month-to-month discussion board held in Ramstein, Germany.