Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says U.S. believes Ukraine can win, wants to 'see Russia weakened'

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday that the U.S. wants "to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory, we want to see Russia weakened to the point where it can't do things like invade Ukraine." Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to reporters in Poland after returning from a three-hour meeting in Kyiv on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials.

"The first step in winning is believing that you can win," and both the U.S. and the Ukrainians "believe that we — they — can win, if they have the right equipment, the right support," Austin said. "And we're going to do everything we can and continue to do everything we can."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.