Pentagon reveals value of military aid to Ukraine — RT World News
The United States and its allies have dumped $65 billion worth of weapons into the country, according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Ukraine’s so-called Defense Contact Group has committed nearly $65 billion in military aid to support Kiev in the ongoing conflict with Moscow, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has revealed.
The head of the Pentagon made this estimate during the 12th meeting of the group, which brings together the 31 NATO countries, as well as a handful of “non-aligned” countries. Washington is “determined to support Ukraine for the long term”, Austin announced.
“In total, the contact group has committed nearly $65 billion in security assistance,” he said, saying supporters of Ukraine remained “more united than ever”.
“And, last week, President Biden announced that the United States would support a joint effort with our allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation aircraft, including F-16s. We hope that this training will begin in the coming weeks,” Austin said.
In addition to supplying modern combat aircraft to kyiv, the United States is now focusing on supplying Ukraine with “additional air defense systems and ammunition”, he said. Air defenses are “crucial” For “protecting the skies and civil infrastructure of Ukraine against the onslaught of Russia”, he added.
Moscow has always said it exclusively targets military or dual-use targets in the country. He also accused Kyiv of subjecting towns across the country close to the front lines to indiscriminate artillery and rocket fire, which have claimed many civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict.
Russia has repeatedly warned Western donors to Ukraine against dumping assorted weapons into the country, as this would only prolong the conflict and inflict more suffering on Ukrainian civilians.
This position was reiterated on Thursday by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as he accused Kyiv supporters of “force” his troops in battle to show “tactical successes” no matter what.
“The West is forcing the Kiev regime, regardless of the losses, to show tactical successes and its willingness to fight ‘to the last Ukrainian’ and pump it out with weapons”, Shoigu said at a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk, Belarus.
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