US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Georgia, Romania, Ukraine, and also visit the allies in Brussels, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing on Tuesday, October 12.
“The minister and his team will be preparing for a trip to Europe next week. They will stay in Georgia, Ukraine and Romania, and he (Austin – Ed.) Will also conclude this important visit with allies and partners in Brussels, where the meeting of NATO defense ministers will take place, ”said a spokesman for the military department.
Kirby did not disclose the details of the visit of the Pentagon chief to the former Soviet republics.
On August 31, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the United States would provide the country with a new $ 60 million military aid package, as well as sign a framework agreement on reforms necessary for Ukraine to join NATO. The package will also include additional Javelin anti-tank systems and other weapons. Austin stressed that one of the goals of supporting Ukraine would be “to contain Russian aggression”, while Moscow, in turn, “must stop supporting the conflict in southeastern Ukraine,” and also “withdraw from Crimea.”
On September 16, former US Ambassador to Kiev John Herbst said that Ukraine should not count on military support from the United States and the European Union in the event of a full-scale Russian aggression. Herbst noted that there is a possibility of full-scale aggression, but it is small.
Since 2014, Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the residents of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’etat and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the internal Ukrainian conflict. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats – with the participation of Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany.