US Defense Secretary Austin arrives in Kyiv in surprise visit

October 21, 2024

By Ukraine

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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv on 21 October.

It’s Lloyd Austin’s fourth visit to Kyiv as Secretary of Defense, “demonstrating that the United States, alongside the international community, continues to stand by Ukraine,” he wrote on X. The visit comes at a critical time, with questions looming about the future of US support for Ukraine ahead of the upcoming US presidential election.

Austin is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to discuss Ukraine’s weapons needs and ongoing US military support.

Western nations, including the US and UK, maintain restrictions on the use of their long-range weapons for deep strikes inside Russia. The request for long-range missiles stems from Ukraine’s need to counter Russia’s significant advantages in personnel and munitions, as well as to potentially disrupt Russian supply lines and military infrastructure beyond the immediate war zone.

According to CNN, a senior defense official said the visit would allow Austin to “step back” and assess the “arc” of the US-Ukraine relationship over the past two and a half years of war.

The timing of Austin’s visit is significant, as Ukraine faces a tough situation against Russian forces heading into winter, despite Western sanctions and US military aid. Russia also continues to make small but steady gains on the battlefield, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction. The official noted that Russia is outfiring Ukraine 3-to-1 on the battlefield and is receiving support from Iran, North Korea, and China.

The future of US support remains uncertain. A potential victory by former President Donald Trump in the upcoming US election could significantly impact the current approach to aiding Ukraine.

Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, Trump has recently refused to state whether he wants Ukraine to win the war and has described Zelensky as a “salesman” who “should never have let that war start.”

President Zelenskyy and Donald Trump met in late September.

After they met by the end of the week, Trump said, “I learned a lot” and “We both want to see this [war] end, and we both want to see a fair deal made, and it’s going to be fair.”

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