West won't be dragged into war but will support Ukraine as long as needed – US Secretary of Defense

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III stressed the importance of preventing Washington and NATO from being drawn into the full-scale war in Ukraine, but said that support for Kyiv will continue as long as necessary.

Source: Voice of America, citing Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defence Hearing

Quote from Austin: "We will not be dragged into Putin’s war of choice, but we will stand with Ukraine as it fights to defend itself, and we will continue to strengthen NATO’s collective defense and deterrence."

Details: US Defence Secretary said that over the past year, the US has committed more than US$32 billion in security assistance to support Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, which "has helped meet Ukraine’s most urgent needs" and "translated to tangible gains on the battlefield".

Austin mentioned the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a coalition of 50 countries that have collectively committed approximately US$20 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. He said that the US will "continue to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom for as long as it takes".

He added that though President Joe Biden’s US$842 billion defence budget request for fiscal year 2024 is high, it will provide the US with the capabilities to respond to global security challenges.

Background: In April, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine had "much of the capability" it needed to launch a successful counteroffensive, even despite the recent leak of US intelligence documents.

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