The head of the Pentagon said this on the eve of a meeting of defense ministers and high-ranking generals from NATO countries and their partners at the US military base Ramstein in Germany, which is scheduled to discuss military assistance to Ukraine.

"We are talking about modernization and ensuring that the Ukrainian army is always powerful and able to function in the future," said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

The US Secretary of Defense added that the goal is to weaken Russia.

"We want to see Russia weaken to such an extent that it will not be able to do the things it did when it invaded Ukraine,"

Austin

told a news conference.

- She has already lost a lot of military potential.

And a lot of their military, to be honest.

We want them not to be able to quickly restore this potential. "

"We want to see the international community more cohesive, especially NATO, we see that, and it's based on the hard work, first of all, of President Biden and our allies and partners," Austin said.

The White House said Monday that Austin was talking about the "US goal of preventing" the Russian military from seizing Ukraine.

According to the White House, this is in line with the administration's long-standing goals.

"Minister Austin spoke of our goal, which is to prevent this," said White House

spokeswoman Jen Psaki

.

- Obviously, there is a war in Ukraine now.

We are proud of the success of the Ukrainians, the way they repel the Russian military, thanks to their courage and our support.

But yes, we are also trying to prevent them (the

Russian military -

RS

)

from expanding their efforts to achieve the broader goals of President Putin. "

According to Austin, the Ukrainian side needs long-range weapons and said it needs tanks.

"We are doing our best to give them the kind of support, the kind of artillery and ammunition that will be effective at this stage of the fight," said the Secretary of Defense.

Austin recalled that the recent $ 800 million military aid package included five battalions of 155-millimeter howitzers and hundreds of thousands of artillery shells.

"That's why we're also working with our counterparts in other countries to build similar capacity," Austin said.

On the eve of Austin met with President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev.

The meeting lasted more than three hours.

Austin and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken are the highest-ranking US officials to visit Ukraine since the start of the war.

BBC diplomatic correspondent

James Landale

noted that Austin's comments calling for Russia's weakening were unusually strong for the US Secretary of Defense.

According to him, it is one thing to help Ukraine resist Russian aggression, and quite another - to talk about weakening Russia's military capabilities.

“The visit of Anthony Blinken and Lloyd Austin to Ukraine fully met expectations.

Visible demonstration of support.

Announcement of the imminent return of American diplomats to Ukraine.

Promise of more military aid.

But Austin's comment on Russia's weakening attracted the most attention.

This is a strange statement for the US Secretary of Defense.

He could, of course, be referring to Western sanctions that undermine Russia's military-industrial base.

Or did the minister outline new military targets for the West?

Is it possible to understand his words so that a protracted war in Ukraine can be useful?

Not all Western allies will agree with Lloyd Austin's position and his sincerity, "said James Landale, a BBC diplomatic correspondent.