US defense secretary: We want to see Russia ‘weakened’

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hold a press conference in Poland, April 25 – Photo: REUTERS

“The first step to winning is to believe you can win,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after a visit to Ukraine with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Mr. Austin emphasized “we want to see Russia is so weak that it can’t do what it used to do” when it attacked Ukraine.

The US defense secretary said he wanted to make sure that Russia would not be able to “do the things they did” in Ukraine or rebuild its military capabilities.

Also at the press conference in Poland, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented thatRegarding the goals of the two sides in the war, “Russia has failed and Ukraine has succeeded”.

The Russian side has not yet responded or commented on the statements of the two US ministers during the press conference in Poland.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he appreciated the “unprecedented US support for Ukraine”.

“I thank President Biden on behalf of the entire people for his support of Ukraine, for his clear personal position. Thank you to all the American people and the US Congress for their support. see and feel it,” Zelensky’s office said.

The Ukrainian leader also discussed strengthening US sanctions against Russia.

Mr. Austin and Mr. Blinken met with Ukrainian President Zelensky and became the first senior US officials to visit Ukraine since Russia began the military operation on February 24.

According to Reuters news agency, the US took this opportunity to announce that US diplomats will begin returning to Ukraine this week and nominate a new ambassador.

The United States also announced additional military aid worth $713 million to Ukraine and its allies and partners.