Austin Confirms Continued Military Assistance to Ukraine

The Pentagon's press office reported that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, and promised to seek additional funds from Congress to continue military assistance. The press office stated, "Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with the Ukrainian Defense Minister. During this call, U.S. support for Ukraine was reaffirmed. Secretary Austin reiterated the administration's commitment to ask Congress for the resources Ukraine needs." Austin and Umerov discussed the "successful outcome" of last week's meeting of donor countries for military assistance, as well as "the latest developments on the ground in Ukraine." Yesterday, the U.S. administration sent a supplemental budget request to Congress that includes more than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. It is noteworthy that Russia has sent a memo to NATO countries regarding the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that any shipment containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for the Russian military.