Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged Tuesday that the United States will continue to support Ukraine’s war effort against Russia as Congress blocks funding for military aid to Kyiv.
“The United States will not let Ukraine fail“. In front of around fifty defense officials from several countries gathered at the American air base at Ramstein in Germany, American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tries to reassure Kyiv’s allies of American support. “The__United States__will not let Ukraine down (…)This coalition will not let Ukraine fail. The free world will not let Ukraine fail“.
The meeting comes a week after U.S. defense officials used $300 million in contract savings to finance a new military aid program for Ukraine, removing weapons from Pentagon stockpiles.
During the meeting, leaders of other countries discussed further aid to Ukraine. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters that Germany would supply munitions and armored and transport vehicles worth around 500 million euros.
“We help Ukraine with what it needs most to defend itself against Russian aggression” said Mr Pistorius, adding that the aid includes 10,000 munitions from German army stocks which will be delivered to Ukraine very soon, as well as 100 armored vehicles for infantry and 100 transport vehicles. “I have no doubt about the reliability of the Americans“.
60 billion dollars blocked by Congress
The $300 million package is the first tranche sent by the Biden administration since December, even as battlefield conditions in Ukraine become increasingly dire.
The money found – which officials described as “single shot” – allowed the Department of Defense to mobilize presidential prerogative to remove weapons and equipment from Pentagon stockpiles and quickly send them to Ukraine. The funds are then used to purchase replacement items to ensure that the U.S. military is ready to fight and protect the homeland.
U.S. leaders have insisted over the past three months that they cannot take more weapons off the shelves because they no longer have money to replenish stockpiles. Congress has been deadlocked for months over a new $95 billion supplemental bill, which includes about $60 billion in aid to Ukraine.
U.S. officials say the plan has bipartisan support, but a number of Republicans oppose it and House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to put the plan to a House vote.
Ukrainian troop training under threat
Funding for training Ukrainian forces is also under threat. The U.S. Army’s Regional Command for Europe and Africa, which is based in Germany, expects to run out of money by June, according to U.S. officials. To date, the United States has trained approximately 19,000 Ukrainian troops, most of them in Germany. In total, the international coalition has trained more than 129,000 Ukrainians in more than 100 different locations around the world.
Defense officials continue to warn that Ukraine remains vastly outmatched by Russia on the battlefield and note persistent reports that Ukrainian troops are being rationed or running out of ammunition on the front lines.
For its part, Russia, according to Lloyd Austin, paid a “staggering cost” for the war, repeating estimates that at least 315,000 Russian troops were killed or wounded in the war, which cost Moscow up to $211 billion.
“Ukrainian troops face difficult conditions and fierce fighting. And Ukrainian civilians face a constant barrage of Russian missiles and Iranian drones“Mr. Austin said.”But Ukraine will not back down. And neither does the United States.