Premium| Listen to this article |
The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war entered its third month.
Thousands have lost their lives and millions have fled the east European country as Russian troops foraged into the Ukrainian lands.
Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin on Monday, following his trip, stated that the Ukrainian side could win the war with Russia of they had the ‘Right Equipment’.
Austin's statement comes at the behest of the US pledging $322 million in foreign military financing and a $165 million sale of ammunition to the war-ravaged country.
"We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support." Austin went on to say that the US hoped the Russian military would be exhausted in Ukraine, preventing it from launching further invasions in the future.
"The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win," Austin told a group of journalists after he and Blinken met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine," said Austin.
For months, Zelensky has been begging for heavy weapons -- including artillery and fighter jets -- from western countries, vowing his forces could turn the tide of the war with more firepower.
The calls appear to be resonating, with a host of NATO countries pledging in recent days to provide a range of heavy weapons and equipment to Ukraine, despite protests from Moscow.
The US has been a leading donor of finance and weaponry to Ukraine and a key sponsor of sanctions targeting Russia, but had not yet sent any top officials to Kyiv, while several European leaders had travelled there to underscore their support.
Austin and Blinken said US diplomats will begin a gradual return to Ukraine this week and announced $700 million (653 million euros) in additional military aid.
US announces military aid to Ukraine
The United States will provide Ukraine with $322 million in foreign military financing and has approved a $165 million sale of ammunition to the war-ravaged country.
The announcement came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday.
It was the highest-level visit by an American delegation since the start of the war.
The US officials also pledged further assistance worth $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries, with the $322 million earmarked specifically for Kyiv.
The new money brings the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7 billion since the invasion, officials said.
The United States promised on Monday to reopen its embassy in Kyiv soon, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine's capital and hailed its success so far against Russia's invasion.
(With inputs from agencies)