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US Secretary of Defense Austin in Ramstein: Set »heaven and earth« in motion for Ukraine
Photo: Boris Roessler / dpa
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is not a man of big words.
The ex-military dislikes public battles or petty nasties in front of the cameras;
The Pentagon boss prefers to settle disputes behind closed doors.
That's where the beefy Austin can make quite a difference, say people who've seen it.
But he never becomes abusive or even hurtful.
Austin remained diplomatic on Tuesday – and still found clear words.
In a very short space of time, the United States had gathered Ukraine's international supporters for a crisis conference at the huge US air base in Ramstein.
The declared goal was that further military aid for the partner attacked by Russia should be better coordinated and, above all, consolidated.
Speaking on behalf of the US government, Austin made it clear in Ramstein how the US sees the situation in Ukraine.
“Heaven and earth” will be set in motion to make the country even more effective in defending itself against the army of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine needs “our help to win.
And she'll need our help when the war is over,” Austin said.
Austin expressly thanks Germany
With these words in the morning, Austin got his partners in the mood for more difficult months and ultimately for a long war in Ukraine.
In Washington, the secret services have been spreading a gloomy forecast for several weeks.
Accordingly, Russia will conduct the war in eastern Ukraine even more brutally than before.
Consequently, Austin said in Ramstein, the country needs even more military support.
Already, the flow of arms flowing into Ukraine is spectacular.
The USA alone has supplied more than three billion worth of war material, together with the other partners the pro-Ukraine coalition comes up with almost five billion.
On the fringes of the conference, a military man joked that a smaller European country could be completely armed with this huge budget.
Behind the scenes, US military warned in Ramstein that the arms deliveries were crucial for the progress of the war.
The Ukrainian soldiers and the government are determined and show enormous courage, according to a senior military officer in a briefing.
Without massive support with weapons, however, the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian army could quickly collapse.
After the conference, Austin thanked the partners for their commitments.
He specifically mentioned Germany.
The decision to hand over Cheetah anti-aircraft tanks stored by the defense industry to Ukraine was a "significant step," one of his advisors had previously said.
(Read how the federal government's decision came about here.) Austin added that the Cheetahs would bring a "significant increase" in Ukraine's military capabilities.
Austin also thanked the other partners.
"It's getting bigger every day," the Pentagon chief said of the military support.
At the same time, there is no reason to rest.
"We have no time to lose, we have to move at the speed of the war." Every day one has to ask oneself how to react to current developments.
Austin therefore wants to consolidate the international dialogue on arms deliveries and the long-term upgrading of the Ukrainian army.
As an international contact group to support the Ukrainian armed forces, the group is to meet every month on Tuesday from now on and discuss further steps.
He left open whether the meetings would be as symbolic as in Ramstein or should take place virtually.
USA have long-term strategy
Austin got pretty specific about the goals of the support.
If all goes well, Ukraine will win "today's battle and future battles" and Russia will eventually end the war.
The Russian armed forces are already significantly weaker than before the start of the war, and Ukraine must continue to be supported in this way.
Between the lines, however, one could hear that the US was already pursuing a much longer-term strategy.
"We want to make sure that Russia can no longer threaten and push its neighbors around," Austin said.
Consequently, Ukraine needs a powerful army that can withstand all threats.
Taking the idea to the end, this goal could also mean massive rearmament for all of the US's Eastern European partners.
Despite the warm words in Ramstein, US allies must be prepared for Washington to keep up the pressure behind the scenes.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht therefore assured that Germany would continue to help the Ukrainian army "step by step".
You have to start where the country has a need, she said before a meeting with her counterpart from Ukraine.
US Secretary of Defense Austin did not want to answer the specific question of whether Berlin still had to do more in Ramstein.
He preferred to leave it at a diplomatic statement.
After his various meetings with Lambrecht over the past few weeks, he is quite certain that she will find ways to provide Ukraine with further military capabilities and thus remain "relevant" in the pro-Ukraine coalition.
