US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized Tuesday that the US “will not let Ukraine fail,” as Congress continues to delay critical funding for Ukraine aid.
Speaking in Germany at the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Austin said Ukraine’s military continues “to degrade the Kremlin’s capabilities.”
“Ukraine won’t back down, and neither will the United States,” said Austin, while seated next to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. “So, our message today is clear: The United States will not let Ukraine fail. This coalition will not let Ukraine fail. And the free world will not let Ukraine fail.”
The trip is Austin’s first official trip abroad since his prostate cancer procedure in December. He participated in the last two contact groups virtually, after he was hospitalized on January 1 due to complications from his December procedure.
Austin’s comments come amid dire warnings from US and allied officials that Ukraine is running critically low on ammunition. A senior US defense official told reporters Friday that Ukraine is “heavily outgunned on the battlefield.”
CNN has previously reported that Russia is producing nearly three times more artillery munitions than the US and Europe — roughly 3 million a year, compared to the US and Europe’s estimated 1.2 million, according to a senior European intelligence official.
“Russia’s output is 24/7. I mean, huge, immense,” a European lawmaker told CNN. “We should not underestimate their will to outlast us with patience, and with resilience.”
Asked on Friday how long Ukraine might be able to keep up the fight against Russia without more US support, the official said it depended on a number of factors, including how Russia…
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