Pentagon chief unveils $400 million in Ukraine aid during Kyiv visit

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on Monday, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and unveiled a package of $400 million in security aid — the second such package within a week.

The assistance includes artillery and other munitions, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons like the shoulder-launched Javelin system.

Austin announced the aid in a meeting with Zelenskyy, who last week outlined a proposal to end the war.

This “victory plan,” as Zelenskyy calls it, would require enduring Western support, particularly NATO membership and the long-term commitment of security aid. The U.S. has so far resisted issuing an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance, along with another top priority for Kyiv: the permission to fire Western weapons deep into Russian territory.

In a social media post after the meeting with Austin , Zelenskyy said that the two discussed air defense and “the expansion of long-range weapon use against Russian military targets.” In a $425 million package announced last week , the White House committed to sending “hundreds” of vital air defense interceptors in the coming months.

Despite such support, Zelenskyy’s proposal is a sign of how Ukraine views the state of the war. The Ukrainian president still publicly calls for regaining all territory lost to Russia, going back to the 2014 seizure of Crimea. But as Moscow’s forces steadily advance in eastern Ukraine and reclaim territory lost in Russia’s Kursk province, the future of the war looks increasingly bleak for Kyiv.

In an October briefing, senior Pentagon officials said Russia’s casualties were accelerating in the east and had reached 600,000 throughout the war.

Austin’s trip to Kyiv marks his fourth visit to Ukraine and likely his last as secretary of defense. Aiding Ukraine’s defense has been a signature achievement during his tenure. The U.S. has sent Ukraine over $61 billion in security aid in the last two and a half years, and Austin has helped coordinate the assistance of other countries through a monthly forum held in Ramstein, Germany.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

美国国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀周一突访乌克兰首都基辅，会见了总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基，并公布了一项价值 4 亿美元的安全援助计划——这是本周内的第二项此类援助计划。

援助物资包括火炮和其他弹药、装甲车辆和反坦克武器，例如肩扛式标枪导弹系统。

奥斯汀在与泽连斯基的会晤中宣布了这项援助，泽连斯基上周概述了一项结束战争的提案。

泽连斯基称之为“胜利计划”的这项方案，需要西方的长期支持，特别是加入北约以及长期安全援助的承诺。迄今为止，美国一直拒绝立即邀请乌克兰加入北约，同时也拒绝满足基辅的另一项首要诉求：允许乌克兰使用西方武器深入俄罗斯领土作战。

在与奥斯汀会晤后，泽连斯基在社交媒体上发文称，双方讨论了防空以及“扩大对俄军事目标使用远程武器”的问题。白宫上周宣布了一项价值4.25亿美元的援助计划，承诺在未来几个月内向俄罗斯输送“数百架”至关重要的防空拦截机。

尽管获得如此支持，泽连斯基的提议也反映了乌克兰对战争现状的看法。这位乌克兰总统仍然公开呼吁收复自2014年克里米亚被俄罗斯吞并以来失去的所有领土。但随着莫斯科军队在乌克兰东部稳步推进，并收复在俄罗斯库尔斯克省失去的领土，基辅的战争前景日益黯淡。

五角大楼高级官员在 10 月份的一次简报会上表示，俄罗斯在东部的伤亡人数正在加速增加，整个战争期间的伤亡人数已达到 60 万。

奥斯汀此次访问基辅是他第四次访问乌克兰，很可能也是他作为国防部长最后一次访问乌克兰。援助乌克兰国防是他任期内的一项标志性成就。过去两年半，美国已向乌克兰提供了超过610亿美元的安全援助，奥斯汀还通过在德国拉姆施泰因举行的月度论坛，协助协调其他国家对乌克兰的援助。

诺亚·罗伯逊是《防务新闻》的五角大楼记者。他此前曾为《基督教科学箴言报》报道国家安全新闻。他拥有弗吉尼亚州威廉斯堡威廉与玛丽学院的英语和政治学学士学位。