Russia has certain advantages in war with Ukraine, but will pay dearly for its gains – Austin

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that despite russia's apparent successes in Ukraine, the kremlin faces a number of serious challenges that will complicate the consolidation of the occupied territories, Bloomberg reports.

The Minister spoke before his last meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, where the United States will announce a final package of military assistance worth USD 500 million.

“There’s a thought that Russia has the ultimate hand here and it has every advantage. It has some advantages, but it doesn’t completely dominate this equation here. And if it gets what it wants, it will cost them in the future,” Austin stressed.

According to him, this should be taken into account in any attempts to achieve a ceasefire that the new administration of Donald Trump may initiate after January 20. Austin recalled the serious problems of the russian federation, in particular its dependence on the help of North Korea and Iran in the supply of weapons and manpower.

The head of the Pentagon also noted strategic successes in countering russia.

" The loss of 700,000 troops killed and wounded - that would’ve been beyond imagination three years ago," the U.S. Secretary of Defense stressed.

He added that due to the concentration of forces in Ukraine, putin has lost influence in Syria, which now calls into question his capabilities in Africa.

When commenting on criticism from European and Ukrainian officials about the lack of a clear U.S. strategy, Austin said: “What it did was it helped Ukraine survive, it helped Ukraine defend its sovereign territory.”

As previously reported, the U.S. Department of Defense noted that during the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein) in Germany, a plan for Ukraine's defense capabilities will be drawn up to support the creation of reliable deterrent forces by 2027.

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