The latest aid pledge followed Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Kiev, where the Pentagon chief announced a new $400 million military package for Ukraine that included surface-to-air missiles, HIMARS rockets and 155 mm artillery shells.
The ‘consolation prize’ handout has been confirmed by the Pentagon, the New York Times reported, quoting sources at the US Department of Defense.
Zelensky failed to sell his strategy — including fast-tracked membership of NATO for Ukraine becoming a member of NATO — to Western leaders on his recent tour.
His repeated pleas for approval of long-range missile strikes deep into Russian territory have also fallen on deaf ears.
ZELENSKY FEELS THE NOOSE TIGHTENING AROUND HIS NECK AND TRIES TO FOMENT A NATO WAR WITH HIS PLAN
Gilbert Doctorow, an international relations and Russian affairs analyst
Volodymyr Zelensky’s so-called “victory plan” may represent the Ukrainian ex-comedian taking a page from… pic.twitter.com/K83rgVty7o
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) October 17, 2024
Moscow has repeatedly stressed that Western military aid for NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine will only serve to prolong the crisis, and warned that arms shipments are legitimate military targets.
