US Secretary of Defense: “Want to see Russia weakened”

US Secretary of Defense: “Want to see Russia weakened”

The USA stands by Ukraine – that was the message of the visit of two US ministers to Kyiv. Foreign Minister Blinken added that an independent Ukraine would last longer than Kremlin chief Putin. The Secretary of Defense explained what the US goals are.

Two of US President Joe Biden’s top ministers have pledged US solidarity to Ukraine and announced further military aid during a visit to Kyiv. In addition, US diplomats are to return to Ukraine next week and try to reopen the embassy in Kyiv as soon as possible, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced after his trip with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Both had met there, among others, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.

In view of the massive arms shipments by the US military, Austin said the US would do everything it could to give Ukraine “as much as possible, as quickly as possible”. The US government’s goal is to defend Ukraine’s democracy and sovereignty and put Moscow in its place, Austin said. “We want to see Russia weakened to the point where it can no longer do the kind of things it did by invading Ukraine.” Russia has already “lost a lot of military capabilities and many of its troops”. The point is to ensure that Russia cannot quickly rebuild its previous operational capability, Austin said.

More millions in aid for Ukraine

The two ministers announced additional military aid to Ukraine and around a dozen other countries in the region during their visit to Kyiv, amounting to 713 million US dollars (around 662 million euros). Of this, $322 million is destined for Ukraine. In addition, Ukraine will receive additional ammunition worth 165 million dollars, it said. The US government has pledged a total of $3.7 billion in military aid since the beginning of the war.

According to Foreign Minister Blinken, Russia has failed in its goals in the war against Ukraine. “We see that when it comes to Russia’s war goals, Russia is failing and Ukraine is succeeding,” said Blinken. Russia has made it its goal to completely subjugate Ukraine and take away the country’s sovereignty and independence, Blinken said. “That failed”. Russia’s military has fallen dramatically short of expectations, and its economy is devastated as a result of the sanctions. “We don’t know how the rest of this war will play out, but we do know that a sovereign and independent Ukraine will exist much longer than Vladimir Putin has on this stage.”

The British government estimates that around 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. There is also evidence that more than 2,000 armored vehicles have been destroyed or captured, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in London.

Source: Stern

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