US defense chief promises Ukraine what it needs to fight Russia but goes no further

Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States will get Ukraine what it needs to fight its war with Russia. But in an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday he gave no hint that Washington might endorse key planks of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s so-called “victory plan.” Austin noted in a speech at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine that the U.S. has delivered more than $58 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion, making it Kyiv’s main backer. But Zelenskyy has asked Ukraine’s Western allies to go a few steps further, including inviting Ukraine to join NATO.