(The Guardian) The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, is making an unexpected visit to Ukraine today to reaffirm Washington’s support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he meets him later.
Austin is also expected to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov. US backing is crucial if Kyiv is to get support from other allies for proposals Zelenskyy believes are necessary to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield and ahead of any peace negotiations.
There are concerns that a second Trump administration could suspend military support for Kyiv, at a time when Ukraine is in desperate need for financial support and military equipment, much of which is supplied by the US. Kamala Harris seems set to follow Joe Biden’s policy towards Ukraine, supplying Kyiv with military aid and supporting them diplomatically. She has ruled out meeting one-on-one with Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine unless leaders from Kyiv are involved.
“It’s been absolutely remarkable that Ukraine has been able to do what it’s done,” Austin told reporters. “It’s been able to do that, of course, because of the fact that we have supported them from the very beginning, and we’ve rallied some 50 countries to be a part of that support,” he added.
Austin is also expected to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov. US backing is crucial if Kyiv is to get support from other allies for proposals Zelenskyy believes are necessary to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield and ahead of any peace negotiations.
There are concerns that a second Trump administration could suspend military support for Kyiv, at a time when Ukraine is in desperate need for financial support and military equipment, much of which is supplied by the US. Kamala Harris seems set to follow Joe Biden’s policy towards Ukraine, supplying Kyiv with military aid and supporting them diplomatically. She has ruled out meeting one-on-one with Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine unless leaders from Kyiv are involved.
“It’s been absolutely remarkable that Ukraine has been able to do what it’s done,” Austin told reporters. “It’s been able to do that, of course, because of the fact that we have supported them from the very beginning, and we’ve rallied some 50 countries to be a part of that support,” he added.
