An unannounced visit to Kyiv

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Ukraine.

Austin, who traveled to Kyiv by train from Poland, met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Chief of Staff Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

While there, Austin announced the Pentagon would be sending an additional $100 million in weapons to Ukraine from U.S. existing stockpiles, including artillery and munitions for air defense systems. Austin says Ukraine’s effort to defeat Russia’s forces “matters to the rest of the world” and U.S. support will continue “for the long haul.”

The visit marks a high-profile push to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine even as U.S. and international resources are stretched by the new global risks raised by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Ukrainian officials have strongly pushed back on suggestions they are in a stalemate with Russia after a long-awaited counteroffensive over the summer did not radically change the battle lines on the ground. However, as winter sets in it will become more difficult for either side to make large gains because of weather.

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