Pentagon: Military aid to Ukraine will "change the dynamics" of war with Russia

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US believes the training and equipment it is providing Ukraine will “change the dynamics on the battlefield” in the war against Russia and allow Kyiv’s forces to “breach Russian defences”.

“We’re training and equipping several brigades of mechanized infantry — that’s a pretty substantial capability,” Austin said in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for “CNN This Morning” on February 23.

“In addition to that, additional artillery, and so they’ll have the ability to breach Russian defences and manoeuvre, and I think that will create a different dynamic.”

"As long as Ukraine continues to conduct operations and continues to work to take back its sovereign territory, we’ll be there with them,” he said, adding that “the international community will be with Ukraine once the fighting stops."

Indeed, Austin echoed a common sentiment among other American officials, including Biden, to CNN, reiterating that the US will stick with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Austin’s comments come as the war in Ukraine reaches the one-year mark, with seemingly no end in sight. It also comes on the heels of a highly secretive and surprise visit to Kyiv by President Joe Biden, which aimed to send a stark message about the strength of the two nations’ alliance to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The US and its allies have provided billions of dollars’ worth of ammunition, weapons systems, and training to the Ukrainians since the war began one year ago — $29.8 billion of that coming from the US alone since the beginning of Russia’s invasion. Recently that has included significant items like the Patriot missile system and M1 Abrams tanks, though both require substantial training and maintenance capabilities.