KYIV, November 22 ------ United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged additional American support for Ukraine during an unannounced visit to Kyiv to stem concerns that help from its biggest ally could waver.
Washington has provided over $40 billion in security aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, and pledged to back Kyiv for "as long as it takes," but opposition from hardline Republicans has raised doubts about the future of US assistance. Austin announced "another $100 million drawdown to provide additional artillery munitions, additional interceptors for air defense, and a number of anti-tank weapons" during a news conference at St. Michael's Square in the capital Kyiv. In Washington, the State Department said the assistance includes 3 million rounds of small-arms ammunition and equipment for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or Himars.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US for the additional package in his nightly address, noting that "there will be more artillery-shells that are needed right now." The two had met a few hours earlier, and Austin assured that US support would not slip. "The message that I bring you today, Mister President, is that the United States of America is with you. We will remain with you for the long haul," Austin told Zelensky. "What happens here in Ukraine — that not only matters to Ukraine but it matters to the rest of the world. It certainly matters to the United States of America," he added. The trip to Kyiv which also included a meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and a visit to the US Embassy is the Pentagon chief's second since the invasion started. Washington is by far the biggest donor of military assistance to Kyiv, and a cut to US aid would be a major blow to Ukraine as it readies for the second winter of the war. Zelensky said Austin's visit was "an important signal for Ukraine," and thanked Congress and the American people for their backing. "We count on your support," he said at the meeting.
'Smaller' aid packages
Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged US lawmakers during a hearing in October to sustain support for Ukraine, with the defense chief saying: "Without our support, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be successful." But some Republican lawmakers oppose continued aid, and new support for Ukraine was left out of a temporary deal passed by Congress last week to avert a US government shutdown. Despite this, a senior US defense official told journalists: "We continue to believe that Congress will provide that support, and we are planning based on that conviction." US assistance has not been halted, and there is still previously authorized aid to draw on.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said earlier this month that assistance packages "have been getting smaller because we have had to meter out our support for Ukraine." In addition to domestic US political opposition to continued aid, the devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas and an accompanying spike in attacks on US forces in the Middle East has drawn international attention away from Ukraine. The United States insists it can provide assistance to both countries. "On the issue of whether there is a competition or trade-off between US support for Ukraine's defense of its country and Israel's defense of its people, there is not," a senior US defense official said. "There is some overlap, but where there is overlap in certain kinds of ammunition there is no reduction in the provision of capabilities to Ukraine," the official added.
Source: manilatimes.net
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