Washington is committed to supporting Kyiv “for as long as it takes,” said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday.
Austin, answering a question on Ukraine from the media during a joint press conference in Jakarta with his Indonesian counterpart, said it is “hard to predict how things will evolve and on what timeline, but we’re in this in support of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
The focus of the US is to support Ukraine, while Ukraine’s focus is to “make sure they’re doing everything to take back every inch of their sovereign territory,” he added.
Austin also said he believes Ukraine will be prepared to fight during the winter months, and will be in “much better condition than their adversaries” because of the support the US has provided.
Austin is in Indonesia to meet with senior military leaders. In the press conference, Austin said the US is a “proud partner” with Indonesia as the two countries “work together to advance our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
