CNN
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, speaking here on CNN, February 23, 2023.
WAR IN UKRAINE – To mark the first anniversary of the Ukrainian conflict, the Pentagon chief spoke Thursday, February 23, in an interview on CNN. According to Lloyd Austin, the training and equipment that the United States is providing to Ukraine will “change the dynamics on the battlefield” and allow Kiev forces to “break through Russian defenses.”
“We’re training and equipping several mechanized infantry brigades — that’s quite a large capacity,” the defense minister said. “In addition, with additional artillery, they will be able to break through Russian defenses and maneuvers, and I think that will create a different dynamic,” he said.
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“Instead of a stalemate, you’re likely to see the Ukrainians shaping this fight in a way that they can create opportunities for themselves and take advantage of those opportunities in the future,” he predicted.
Since the war began, Washington, which warned its allies in October 2021 of an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine, has provided the Ukrainian army with around $30 billion in total aid in the form of tanks, weapons, ammunition and training systems.
A message for Beijing
Lloyd Austin’s remarks also follow a recent top-secret and surprise visit to Kiev by Joe Biden, aimed at delivering a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the strength of the US-Ukraine alliance. The head of the Pentagon also supported this point on CNN.
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“As long as Ukraine continues to conduct operations and work to retake their territory, we will be with them,” he said, adding that “the international community will be with Ukraine once the fighting ends.”
Ultimately, the war will “probably end in some kind of negotiation,” he told CNN. ” [C]What interests the Ukrainians is getting the Russians out of their territory. And I think that will probably be their starting point, but I will let the Ukrainians speak for themselves,” concluded the defense minister.
Regarding possible arms shipments from China to Russia, which Beijing recently denied, Lloyd Austin said China “definitely hasn’t taken that possibility off the table.” “I hired my colleague early and told him it would be a very big mistake if China did that. That would complicate things,” he said. Beijing is trying to mediate on this issue and has called for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and has rejected any recourse to nuclear weapons.
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