Visiting Kyiv, US Defense Minister Announces New Weapons Assistance Worth IDR 6.2 Trillion

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin/DOK via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - United States (US) Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the shipment of new weapons worth 400 million dollars (equivalent to Rp6.2 trillion) for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv.

Austin's visit focused on US efforts to help Kyiv strengthen its defenses as Russian forces slowly but surely control territory in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a statement, renewed calls to Washington to ease restrictions on the use of weapons supplied by the US to achieve targets far away in Russian territory.

However, when the Biden administration ended, Austin signaled continued US support, and announced there was no change to US policy.

"The United States understands its stakes here, Mr. President," Austin told Zelenskiy at a meeting.

The new weapons assistance includes additional ammunition, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons for Ukraine.

Austin's visit comes ahead of the US presidential election on November 5, where former president Donald Trump, a Republican candidate, is seeking to be re-elected in the tight competition against Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate.

Trump has hinted he would be more reluctant than Biden to continue to support Ukraine, which could cost Kyiv his biggest military and financial support.

Austin played down those concerns.

"I've seen bipartisan support for Ukraine over the past 2.5 years, and I fully hope that we will continue to see bipartisan support from Congress," he said.

The retired four-star general is one of Ukraine's most persistent supporters, building a coalition of dozens of countries that have supplied weapons to Kyiv that helped him deliver a heavy blow to Russian troops.