U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Brussels to host a gathering Thursday of the Ukraine Protection Contact Group, which incorporates ministers from virtually 50 nations helping Kyiv’s conflict efforts. Austin praised Ukrainian “resilience” and pledged that america “will stand with Ukraine for the lengthy haul.”
He mentioned navy gear and coaching would proceed to circulate, guaranteeing that Kyiv can “prevail over [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s marketing campaign of cruelty and conquest.” He additionally met together with his Ukrainian counterpart. “Ukraine’s battle is a marathon and never a dash,” Austin famous in opening remarks on the convention.
Senior Pentagon officers mentioned they anticipate a prolonged and “very violent” battle through the counteroffensive launched by Ukrainian forces to drive out Russian troops, talking candidly from NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, mentioned it might be “very untimely” to attempt to put an finish date on the counteroffensive, noting that the battle will “probably take a substantial period of time — and at excessive price.” Austin famous that images of Western fight autos broken in battle have cropped up, however mentioned Ukrainian forces are in a position to get well and restore the gear.
Right here’s the newest on the conflict and its impression throughout the globe.
Zaporizhzhia metal plant refuses to bend to Russian assaults: Employees at a metal plant close to the entrance traces of a counteroffensive in southeastern Ukraine aren’t cowed by the air raid sirens that recurrently sound as they work with molten metallic at temperatures as much as 1,100 levels Celsius, The Put up’s Adam Taylor studies.
“Individuals simply tailored,” 29-year-old Oleksii Klashnik mentioned. He and different steelworkers wore protecting vests together with their heatproof outfits. The plant has by no means been hit, Klashnik added, however “you possibly can undoubtedly hear the explosions within the metropolis.”
David Stern contributed to this report.
