Simi Valley, California
CNN
—
Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin introduced a $1 billion army support bundle for Ukraine on Saturday, making a powerful case for U.S. management world wide.
“With out robust and secure American management, the issues of our time will solely worsen,” Austin mentioned in his fourth consecutive look on the Reagan Nationwide Protection Discussion board in Simi Valley, California.
The bundle, which incorporates extra drones and munitions for a essential missile system, brings complete U.S. safety support to Ukraine for the reason that battle started almost three years in the past to $62 billion, a key part of protecting Kiev within the combat. Russia has suffered greater than 700,000 battlefield casualties for the reason that battle started, Austin mentioned, and “wasted” greater than $200 billion.
The US has led a coalition of nations to arm and equip the Ukrainian army since February 2022, and Austin mentioned giving up on Kiev can be a mistake.
“This authorities has made its selection. This additionally applies to a bipartisan coalition in Congress,” Austin mentioned. “The following authorities must make its personal choice.”
Though the outgoing Protection Secretary didn’t point out Donald Trump by title, his arguments for U.S. worldwide engagement stood in sharp distinction to the president-elect's promise to say “America First.” Trump has repeatedly expressed doubts concerning the worth of U.S. support to Ukraine, and Vice President-elect JD Vance has mentioned previously that Russia doesn’t pose an existential risk to Europe.
Austin's message concerning the significance of support to Ukraine got here the identical day Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky earlier than the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris. The 2 met with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Élysée Palace on Saturday for simply over an hour.
Zelensky subsequently described it as a “good and productive trilateral assembly” in a put up on social media.
“All of us need this battle to finish as shortly as doable and in a simply method,” he mentioned, including: “President Trump is as decided as ever.”
However key members of Trump's new administration have questioned the worth of overseas support typically and army support to Ukraine specifically.
Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chair of Trump's fee to chop authorities spending, mentioned he wished to look at whether or not overseas support was definitely worth the taxpayer cash.
“How does this really advance a objective that serves the U.S. taxpayer in the very best curiosity of the US of America?” Ramaswamy requested rhetorically on C-SPAN final week.
Austin argued that it’s exactly this overseas engagement that helps protect and preserve what he calls a rules-based worldwide order. Reflecting on his time as protection secretary, Austin highlighted elevated U.S. army cooperation with Japan and the Philippines, in addition to new agreements with India and Australia.
The U.S. has additionally despatched $13.6 billion in support to Israel as a part of almost 400 circumstances of overseas army gross sales for the reason that battle towards Hamas started simply over a 12 months in the past, Austin mentioned.
“The world constructed by American management can solely be sustained by American management,” the outgoing minister mentioned.