US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine’s needs are changing as the nature of the fight evolves, in part because the focus has shifted to the east of the country.
“So (the Ukrainians) need long-range fires. You’ve heard them express a need for tanks. And we’re doing everything that we can to get them the types of support, the types of artillery and munitions that will be effective in this stage of the fight,” Austin told reporters during a news conference at an undisclosed location near the Polish-Ukrainian border following high level talks on Monday.
“You’ve seen what we’ve done here in the recent past with a recent $800 million authorization provided by the President that allows us to provide five battalions of 155 howitzers, hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery, and so we’re also engaging our colleagues in other countries for the same type of capability.”
Austin said he has seen “indications” that “many countries are going to come forward and provide additional munitions and howitzers.”
