The United States is determined to “move the earth and the sky” in order for Ukraine to win the war against Russia, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said today in front of representatives from about 40 countries gathered in Germany today to strengthen its military capabilities. .
«Ukraine clearly believes it can win, so does everyone here», said Austin at the start of this meeting organized on the initiative of Washington at the American air base Rammstein, in West Germany.
At a time when Russia is seeking full control of southern Ukraine and the Donbas region, “we can do more through our defense industrial base to continue to help Ukraine defend itself in an even more effective way,” Austin said.
«We will continue to move earth and sky so that we can satisfy themThe minister went to Kyiv on Sunday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
“The United States, which provides most of the international military assistance to Ukraine, wants to ‘give it the kind of support, artillery and ammunition that will be effective at this stage of the war,'” the Pentagon chief said in an interview. Press in Poland, not far from the border with Ukraine.
Kyiv is mainly seeking heavy artillery and armored tanks to repel Russian forces on the vast plains of southern and eastern Ukraine, but Russian-made equipment trained by Ukrainian forces is running out.
Some Eastern European countries that still have stocks send them to Kyiv, sometimes in exchange for a new generation of American weapons, as the journalists who accompanied Austin to Poland have been able to see.
So the head of the Pentagon and Anthony Blinken spoke to reporters yesterday, Monday, from a warehouse where tons of military and humanitarian aid were stacked.
U.S. Army Chief of Staff Mark Miley has warned that Ukraine needs more security assistance – now – that will help it defend itself against a possible and decisive Russian offensive in the east. He said the coming weeks were “critical”.
«Time is not on Ukraine’s side“, Said Miley, in comments of a closed-door meeting that was distributed to journalists traveling with him. “The outcome of this battle, here today, depends on the people in this room.”
Miley added: “The Ukrainians will fight. We must ensure that they have the means to fight».
After being repulsed by Ukrainian forces in a failed attack in Kyiv in the north, Moscow rearranged its troops to the east for a ground offensive in two provinces known as Donbas.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russia would rely heavily on artillery shells to try to pound Ukrainian positions, as it would deploy ground forces from various directions to try to encircle and subdue an important part of the country. .
But the United States also estimates that many Russian units are weakened, with some operating at a loss of up to 30 percent – a level that the US military estimates is high enough to continue fighting, officials said.
The conference also aims to provide reassurances about Ukraine’s security in the long run.
«Ukraine needs our help to win today and will still need our help when the war is over“, Austin insisted today.
The conference is not being held in the context of NATOalthough a representative of the Atlantic Alliance participates in it.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had to cancel his transfer for health reasons.
Among the 40 participating countries are European countries that are allies of the United States, but also more distant countries, such as Australia and Japan, who fear that a Russian victory in Ukraine will be a precedent and will encourage China’s territorial ambitions.
Finland and Sweden, traditionally neutral countries considering joining NATO after the invasion of Ukraine began, are also represented at the conference.
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