|
US Defense Chief Vows Aid to Ukraine 03/19 06:04
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to
support Ukraine's war effort against Russia, even as the U.S. Congress remains
stalled over funding to send additional weapons to the front.
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) -- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed
Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine's war effort against
Russia, even as the U.S. Congress remains stalled over funding to send
additional weapons to the front.
"The United States will not let Ukraine fail," said Austin, addressing more
than 50 defense leaders from Europe and around the world who are meeting at the
Ramstein Air Base in Germany. "This coalition will not let Ukraine fail. And
the free world will not let Ukraine fail."
The meeting comes a week after U.S. defense officials managed to find and
use $300 million in contract savings to fund a new package of military aid for
Ukraine, pulling weapons from Pentagon stocks.
It was the first tranche of weapons sent since December, even as battlefield
conditions in Ukraine have been getting increasingly dire.
The found money -- which officials called a "one-time shot" -- allowed the
Defense Department to use presidential drawdown authority (PDA) to pull weapons
and equipment from Pentagon stocks and send them quickly to Ukraine. The funds
are then used to buy replacement items to ensure the U.S. military is ready to
fight and protect the homeland.
U.S. leaders had insisted for the past three months that they couldn't take
more weapons off the shelves because they have run out of money to replenish
the stocks. Congress has been deadlocked for months over a new $95 billion
supplemental bill that includes about $60 billion in aid for Ukraine.
U.S. officials maintain there is bipartisan support for the package, but a
number of Republicans oppose it and House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to
bring the bill to the House floor for a vote.
U.S. officials have been publicly expressing the hope that lawmakers will
manage to act soon, but they have also been struggling to find other ways to
get assistance to Ukraine.
Defense officials continue to warn that Ukraine remains heavily outgunned by
Russia on the battlefield, and note persistent reports of Ukrainian troops
rationing or running out of ammunition on the front lines.
Just last month, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the eastern city of
Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders had held off a Russian assault for four
months. Troops complained of running low on ammunition while facing a constant
barrage of airstrikes from glide bombs, enormous unguided Soviet-era weapons,
retrofitted with a navigational targeting system, that obliterate everything
around them, as well as motion-sensing explosive drones that could enter
buildings and hunt personnel.
Tuesday marks the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which
has been the key organization coordinating for the delivery of weapons and
other aid to Ukraine.
In his opening remarks, Austin said Russia has paid a "staggering cost" for
the war, repeating estimates that at least 315,000 Russian troops have been
killed or wounded in the war, which has cost up to $211 billion.
"Ukraine's troops face harsh conditions and hard fighting. And Ukraine's
civilians endure a constant barrage of Russian missiles and Iranian drones,"
said Austin. "But Ukraine won't back down. And neither will the United States."
|
|