US official: Washington confirms commitment to continue supporting Ukraine

The US has affirmed on Wednesday its commitment to continuing its support for Ukraine, "which has been at war with Russia" for the third consecutive year, the US Department of Defense spokesman, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. This came after the Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met Tuesday with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon and told Umerov that the US would soon announce a new security assistance package for Ukraine that was valued at approximately USD 2.3 billion. Ryder stated that "The Russians took advantage of the break in US funding to Ukraine to try and take ground from the country. While they took some territory, it was at enormous cost, and they really did not accomplish that much in terms of the amount of geography. "So, what we see now is the Ukrainians, in large part empowered by the security assistance that's been rushed in, continue to hold the line. We will continue to support them in their efforts to defend themselves," he continued. Ryder said the pack age would provide urgently needed air defense interceptors to protect Ukrainian cities and civilians from military attacks and provide artillery and antitank weapons to support the Ukraine's frontline needs. Umerov provided Austin with an update on the dynamics on the ground in Ukraine. "What we continue to see on the ground is it remains a tough fight," Ryder said. "Russia continues to attempt to take ground, and the Ukrainians have done a good job of holding the line." Source: Kuwait News Agency