It’s too early to talk about effect on battlefield of aid provided to Ukraine - Pentagon Chief Austin
It is too early to talk about the effect on the battlefield of the U.S. aid provided to Ukraine, and it will take time for Kyiv to get some of the capabilities it has been given.
This was stated by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin while presenting the budget request of the U.S. Department of Defense for fiscal year 2025 in the U.S. Senate, Censor.NET reports citing Voice of America.
"We're prioritizing critical things like air defense equipment and artillery ammunition," Austin said, noting that while the Pentagon was waiting for funding approval, it prepared to "get those things in quickly and support Ukraine."
"And we are doing that," Austin said, adding that he talks with his Ukrainian counterpart every week to keep the most important needs under control. "It's hard to turn back the clock, but I think without this help, it would be very difficult for Ukraine to defend itself against the superior force that the Russians have," the Pentagon chief added.
The US Secretary of Defense noted that the assistance of Iran and North Korea allowed Russia to "get back on its feet" after the losses it suffered from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"At some point, Russia suffered significant losses due to the actions taken by Ukraine and its Armed Forces. They inflicted significant losses on Russian forces, destroyed a lot of their equipment. We also saw Russia engage North Korea, which provided quite a bit of ammunition and missiles. The drones provided by Iran have really helped and started to turn the tide a little bit for Russia," Austin said.
The US Secretary of Defense also noted that without China's help, Russia would not have been able to establish a military industry.
"It is increasing its industrial production. But without the help of Iran, North Korea and China, this probably would not have happened to the extent that it did. So we're using the right channels to emphasize our serious concerns about China and others who are providing that support," Austin said.
As a reminder, on April 24, the US Department of Defense announced a $1 billion security and defense aid package for Ukraine after President Joe Biden signed the Ukraine Assistance Act into law.
On April 26, the Pentagon announced a $6 billion aid package through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which includes contracts with industry and related procurement.
