Pentagon chief: no responsible leader would allow Putin to do this

– United States America has always been a reliable partner and we will always be a reliable partner. We have administrations that change some policies from time to time, but our values ​​do not change. Our commitment to allies and partners does not change, the chief assured Pentagon Lloyd Austin during a press conference after a meeting with representatives of the defense ministries of supporting countries Ukraine at the American Ramstein air base in Germany. This is how he answered the question about the policy of the new US administration.

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Despite this, Austin admitted that he did not know whether the 25th meeting of the group focused on coordinating support for Ukraine, which ended on Thursday, would be the last in this format.

The head of the Pentagon drew attention to the scale of aid provided by the Ramstein Group countries, worth USD 126 billion, and the scale of losses suffered by the Ramstein Group. Russia in the conflict, now estimated at over 700,000 dead and wounded, which exceeds the number of losses in all Soviet and Russian conflicts since World War II combined.

Austin also encouraged U.S. partners to continue supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainians to “keep fighting.”

– The coalition supporting Ukraine cannot falter. Ukraine's survival is at stake, and so is our security. Putin wants to avenge the fallen empire and rebuild it. The Kremlin's attack begins in Ukraine, but it will not end there. The threats are global, Austin said.

Every autocrat on Earth is watching to see if Putin can get away with this, so this coalition must continue to stand with Ukraine and strengthen its position in the negotiations that will one day bring an end to this terrible war. This path is difficult, but all the alternatives are much worse. No responsible leader would allow Putin to get his way, he added.

During Thursday's meeting, Austin announced a new weapons package for Ukraine worth $500 million, which includes air defense missiles, air-to-ground missiles and equipment for F-16 fighter jets.

On Wednesday, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh admitted that despite the president's announcement Joe Bidenthe current administration will not be able to use all the funds allocated by Congress for Ukraine by the end of its term. It will be up to the Trump administration to allocate the remaining – as she put it – “several billion”.