Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that Ukraine had a “real chance” to seize the initiative on the battlefield.
“I think they have a good chance to make big changes on the battlefield and take the lead. And to be able to use this initiative in the future,” he told reporters after a meeting with NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels.
According to Austin, for each system provided by NATO, Ukrainian troops will be trained.
“We have to make sure that we not only provide the funds, but also the opportunities to use them,” he said.
The head of the defense department said that nearly a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, events were not developing at all as Russian President Vladimir Putin had expected.
“NATO is even more united and unshakeable than before,” the minister stressed.
“(There is) a strengthening of our long-term capabilities, updating our defense plans and moving more forces to a higher level of readiness,” the defense minister said.
According to Austin, Russia is sending a large number of poorly trained and poorly equipped new conscripts to the front.
“That’s why Russia has such big losses,” he explained.
Austin said the meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels touched on issues such as ammunition resupply and strengthening the Allied defense industry.
