It is "too early" to talk about the effect on the battlefield of the US funding provided to Ukraine and it will take time for Kyiv to receive some of the allocated capabilities. This was stated by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin while presenting the U.S. Department of Defense's budget request for fiscal year 2025 in the U.S. Senate, UNN reports citing Voice of America.
Details
"We're prioritizing critical things like air defense equipment and artillery ammunition," Austin said, noting that while the Pentagon was waiting for funding approval, it prepared to "get those things in quickly and support Ukraine."
"And we are doing that," Austin said, adding that he talks to his Ukrainian counterpart on a weekly basis to keep the most important needs under control.
"It's hard to turn back the clock, but I think without this help, it would be very difficult for Ukraine to defend itself against the superior force that the Russians have," Austin said.
The US Secretary of Defense noted that the assistance of Iran and North Korea allowed Russia to "get back on its feet" after the losses it suffered from the Ukrainian Armed Forces,
"At a certain point, Russia suffered significant losses due to the actions taken by Ukraine and its Armed Forces. They inflicted significant losses on Russian forces, destroyed a lot of their equipment. We also saw Russia engage North Korea, which provided quite a bit of ammunition and missiles. The drones provided by Iran really helped and started to turn the tide a little bit for Russia," Austin said.
Add
Answering a question from Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen about whether the adoption of the new defense budget could help limit industrial cooperation between Russia and China, Austin noted that without China's help, Russia would not have been able to establish a military industry.
"It is increasing its industrial production. But without the help from Iran, North Korea and China, that probably wouldn't have happened to the extent that it did. So we're using the right channels to emphasize our serious concerns about China and others who are providing that support," Austin said.
Also, during his testimony on the draft budget in the Senate, Austin noted that this request would help the United States "confidently and immediately meet the challenge of China.
"It will help us counter the acute threat of Putin's increasingly aggressive Russia. It will help us fight the constant danger from Iran and its allies. It will help us confront the threats from North Korea, global terrorist organizations, and other adversaries. And it will help us continue to deter aggression against the United States, our allies and partners," Austin said.
As reported by Voice of America, the Pentagon's draft budget for the next fiscal year provides for $849.8 billion in funding.
According to Austin's statement, the budget for fiscal year 2025 specifically provides $61.2 billion to ensure US air supremacy, including funding for the modernization and maintenance of the F-35 and F-22 fighter fleet, as well as the development of a new generation of fighters.