Continued aid to Ukraine to make U.S. entire democratic world more secure - Austin
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said this on Monday during a speech at the U.S. National Defense University, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"America will be more secure if we stand up to Putin’s increasingly aggressive Russia. America will be more secure if we stand up for our bedrock values. And America will be more secure if we make it clear to would-be aggressors worldwide that they do not get to decide which countries live or which country die," the Defense Secretary stated.
He emphasized that the Russian army demonstrated its weakness in Ukraine.
"Putin tried to demoralize the Ukrainian people. Instead, Putin demoralized the Russian military," the US defense chief noted.
According to Austin, the United States is proud to stand with Ukraine. "And make no mistake, America's commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression is unshakable," he stressed.
Austin recalled the international coalition of nearly 50 countries that provides support for the Armed Forces. "The capabilities from our correlation are making a crucial difference on the battlefield. Ukraine has taken back more than half of the territory grabbed by Russia since February 2022," the head of the Pentagon emphasized.
Therefore, he continued, the U.S., together with its allies and partners, is determined to help Ukraine consolidate and expand Ukraine's battlefield gains, as well as build a future force that can “ward off Russian aggression in years ahead”.
"We are determined to deter Russia from getting further aggression, including against our NATO allies. And we are determined to show the world that America will not flinch in our defense of freedom," Austin said.
He also emphasized that helping Ukraine stop Putin is also necessary so that other aggressors do not cause more chaos.
As reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine began the official part of his working visit to the USA on Monday with a speech at the National Defense University, which trains the U.S. military elite and those of 153 other countries.
