US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced trip to Ukraine’s capital as Washington announced another $400 million draw-down of ammunition from Pentagon stocks for Vladimir Zelensky’s war effort.
Austin arrived by train with “no major announcements,” the Wall Street Journal reported, noting that Ukraine had hoped for NATO membership or permission to use US-supplied long-range weapons against Russia.
The US “will get Ukraine what it needs to fight for its survival and security,” Austin said in a speech after meeting Zelensky and his counterpart Rustem Umerov.
“For anyone who thinks that American leadership is expensive — well, consider the price of American retreat,” he added, noting that “the price of principle is always dwarfed by the cost of capitulation.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it would release $400 million worth of US stockpiles – mainly ammunition for HIMARS, mortars and artillery, along with some M113 armored vehicles – to…
