Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin insisted Tuesday that almost $45 billion in U.S. security assistance to Ukraine has been accounted for, a day after Kyiv dismissed all six of its deputy defense ministers as part of an anti-corruption purge.
“We’re ensuring accountability of U.S. contributions through robust end-use monitoring,” Mr. Austin said in his opening remarks to the 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contract Group in Ramstein, Germany. “We’ll continue to work closely with our Ukrainian partners to ensure that all assistance is used effectively and safeguarded.”
Mr. Austin saluted Ukraine’s now-former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, whom Mr. Zelenskyy had sacked earlier this month as part of the ongoing purge that saw Monday’s firing of his immediate subordinates. “It’s great to have you here. I thoroughly enjoyed our call a couple of days ago,” Mr. Austin said. “I look forward to working with you and your team closely and I know that everyone else here does as well.”
He also condemned Russia for targeting Ukraine’s non-military infrastructure, such as port facilities and grain supplies. Moscow’s attacks have destroyed about 280,000 tons of grain — enough to feed 10.5 million people for a year, he said.
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