US defence chief promises Ukraine what it needs to fight Russia
Ukraine is having difficulty holding back a ferocious Russian campaign along the eastern front.
The United States “will get Ukraine what it needs” to fight its war with Russia, defence secretary Lloyd Austin said on an unannounced visit to Kyiv, but gave no hint that Washington might endorse key planks of Volodymyr Zelensky’s so-called “victory plan”.
The United States will provide Ukraine with what it requires “to fight for its survival and security”, Mr Austin said in a speech at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine.
He noted that the US has delivered more than 58 billion dollars in security assistance for Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion, making it Kyiv’s main backer.
But President Zelensky has asked Ukraine’s Western allies to go a few steps further, notably inviting Ukraine to join Nato and letting it use Western-supplied longer-range missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory.
Those steps have met with a lukewarm response.
It faces a hard winter after Russia targeted its power grid.
Mr Austin’s remarks were notable for what they did not include — an endorsement of Ukraine being invited into Nato, or any indication the US will support Ukraine becoming more aggressive in its defence with longer-range attacks on Russian soil.
With the US presidential election about two weeks away, US officials are treading carefully. President Joe Biden has baulked at measures that might escalate the war and bring a confrontation between Nato and Russia.
Mr Austin said “there is no silver bullet. No single capability will turn the tide. No one system will end Putin’s assault”.
He added: “Make no mistake. The United States does not seek war with Russia.”
“What matters is the way that Ukraine fights back,” Mr Austin told the assembled diplomatic and military personnel at the academy.
“What matters is the combined effects of your military capabilities. And what matters is staying focused on what works.”
Mr Zelensky said in a Sunday evening video address that his victory plan had won the backing of France, Lithuania, Nordic countries and “many other allies” in the European Union, which he did not name.
Mr Zelensky said he had received “very positive signals from the United States,” but he stopped short of saying he had secured Washington’s blessing for the plan.
Analysts say the US is unlikely to make a decision before the November 5 presidential election.
