US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Georgia, Ukraine and Romania next week as part of a European tour. Details of the visit to the former Soviet republics are not given. Perhaps after this visit, Ukraine will be able to count on an increase in the supply of weapons, the author wonders.
The head of the US Defense Ministry, Lloyd Austin, will visit Ukraine next week as part of a European tour, which is being prepared by the Pentagon.
Most likely, at the meeting with him, issues related to the possibility of increasing the supply of weapons to Ukraine and existing projects that exist between Ukraine and the United States will be discussed.
Perhaps the United States has a desire to inspect the situation in terms of mastering the allocation of direct military and financial assistance to Ukraine and again discuss issues related to countering Russia (given the intensification of bilateral contacts in this area between Russia and the United States in connection with Victoria Nuland's visit).
That is, in fact, the main purpose of the visit is to check the clock on military security issues. At the same time, the visit should not be associated with the appearance of the EU military mission in Ukraine. This could be stated with confidence if the training center somehow duplicated the functions of the NATO center.
In general, the United States is jealous of initiatives that, in their opinion, are trying to replace NATO. But if this center does appear, it is unlikely to become a problem for the United States, since it will not interfere with the United States in the work of NATO and the presence of the American mission in Ukraine.
Therefore, if the issue of the EU military mission will be discussed, it will be only for the purpose of coordinating their actions, including with the Europeans. And since Lloyd Austin is going not only to Ukraine, then for sure, this issue will be discussed at different levels and not only with Ukraine.
The only thing Ukraine can count on after this visit is an increase in the supply of weapons (if this is eventually agreed upon). Moreover, the money has already been allocated for this, although the budget has not been increased. However, it is not worth waiting for solutions to global issues after the visit of the head of the Pentagon, since he is not the person with whom such issues are solved in principle. After all, the head of the Pentagon, and specifically Lloyd Austin, is not an independent figure who can make any decisions alone.
Ilia Kusa, an expert on international politics and the Middle East of the Ukrainian Institute of the Future, especially for the Editor-in-Chief
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