Lloyd Austin implores global defense leaders to ‘dig deeper’ in arming Ukraine
Mike Brest
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin implored his international counterparts to redouble their efforts to arm Ukraine ahead of what officials expect to be a Russian offensive in the coming months.
Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley are currently in Germany, where, on Friday, they will participate in the eighth meeting of the Defense Contact Group, an effort Austin has spearheaded. The group, which is made up of roughly 50 defense leaders globally, meets monthly to discuss the latest developments in the war and how they can best assist Ukraine.
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“We need to dig even deeper. This is a decisive moment for Ukraine in a decisive decade for the world, so make no mistake, we will support Ukraine’s self-defense for as long as it takes,” Austin told reporters before the meeting. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a crucial moment. Russia is regrouping, recruiting, and trying to reequip. This is not a moment to slow down. It’s a time to dig deeper. The Ukrainian people are watching us. The Kremlin is watching us, and history is watching us.”
A day earlier, the Biden administration announced a significant $2.5 billion aid package, which brought the total amount of security aid provided to Ukraine since Russia invaded to more than $26.7 billion.
This package is headlined with the inclusion of 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers with 20 mine rollers and 59 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles with 590 TOW anti-tank missiles and 295,000 rounds of 25 mm ammunition. This “will provide Ukraine with two brigades of armored capability” when combining it with the 50 Bradleys that were included in the previously most recent aid package, according to a Pentagon announcement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Austin virtually during his pre-meeting comments to the press, in which he implored Western countries to provide them with tanks ahead of the expected Russian offensive.
“The war started by Russia does not allow delays, and I can thank you hundreds of times, and it will be absolutely just in fear given all that we have already done, but hundreds of thank yous are not hundreds of tanks,” he said, later adding that time is vital and waiting benefits Russia as it regroups.
Berlin has refused to transfer the German-made Leopard 2 tanks so far in the war and have blocked other countries with them from doing the same, recently demanding that they’d only provide them if the U.S. provides its own tanks. But the U.S. opted not to provide Abrams tanks, arguing that the maintenance and sustainment make the weapon not ideal for the conditions.
“The Abrams are — it’s more of a sustainment issue. I mean, this is a tank that requires jet fuel, whereas the Leopard and the Challenger, it’s a different engine. They require diesel. It’s a little bit easier to maintain. They can maneuver across large portions of territory before they need to refuel, the maintenance and the high cost that it would take to maintain an Abrams,” deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday. “It just doesn’t make sense to provide that to the Ukrainians at this moment.”
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The U.S. also did not provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, surface-to-surface long-range missile systems, which has been a frequent request from Ukraine. The U.S. has not provided Ukraine with weapons that would enable it to strike targets within Russian territory.
“We’re we’re kind of at the agree to disagree position,” Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, told reporters Wednesday afternoon.