WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – The United States assures Ukraine of continued support – regardless of the further course of the war. Combat operations are currently developing positively for the Ukrainian army, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Sunday on the news channel CNN. It is difficult to predict the further course, he restricted. “But I would say that no matter which direction this goes, we will provide security support to Ukrainians for as long as necessary,” he said.
In the interview, Austin did not directly address the question of whether the US should also supply longer-range missile systems to Ukraine following Russia’s annexation of four regions. Ukraine wants such missiles with a maximum range of around 300 kilometers. The reason for the previous US reluctance is the concern that targets in Russia could also be attacked. With the annexation, however, Moscow now also regards the illegally incorporated Ukrainian regions as its territory.
When asked, Austin said it’s not just about what weapons you have at your disposal, but above all how you use them and how you combine different activities on the battlefield. The Ukrainian army is good at it: “They get the right stuff and use it right,” Austin said.
The US government has already pledged or delivered weapons, ammunition and equipment worth more than 16 billion US dollars to Ukraine since the Russian war of aggression began a good seven months ago. The Ukrainian troops regained control of the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region at the weekend after successes in the north-east of the country./so/DP/he