Secretary of Defense Austin tells Fox News how he believes the war in Ukraine will evolve

U.S. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin, in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday with Fox Information, mentioned he believes Ukraine goes to wish “long-range artillery and tanks and armored automobiles” to struggle again in opposition to Russia within the nation’s south and east. 

Austin sat down with Fox Information Nationwide Safety Correspondent Jennifer Griffin after assembly with dozens of protection ministers at Ramstein Air Base in Germany – a gathering he says was “all about ensuring that we will proceed to offer Ukraine what it must achieve success within the struggle right now.” 

“And because the struggle has advanced, you have seen their wants change from a whole lot of at the start, a whole lot of anti-armor and anti-aircraft weaponry,” Austin mentioned. “However because the struggle within the south and east of the nation continues, that is a unique sort of terrain.” 

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“They’re going to want totally different sorts of issues to have the ability to form that struggle a bit higher,” he continued. “So, we’re taking a look at lengthy vary artillery and tanks and armored automobiles and people varieties of issues.” 

Austin, when requested if he thought the battle would resort to using nuclear weapons, mentioned “I don’t”.  

However he additionally mentioned he didn’t wish to speculate “on any sort of a response that we’d make” if Russia used a nuclear weapon.  

“My job is to supply the president a spread of choices for something that occurs. I really feel assured that I can do this it doesn’t matter what occurs,” he instructed Fox Information. 

U.S. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet in Kyiv on Sunday, April 24.
(Workplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

On Monday, Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned the “dangers now are appreciable” when weighing the potential of the conflict in Ukraine changing into a nuclear battle. 

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Austin on Tuesday referred to as that rhetoric “harmful” and “unhelpful.” 

“We have mentioned time and again {that a} nuclear conflict can’t be gained by both aspect. And so I believe saber rattling and rhetoric like that’s simply unhelpful,” he instructed Griffin. 

Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov, proper, welcomes U.N. Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres for the talks in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, April 26.
(Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photograph through AP)

Austin mentioned it’s “arduous to say motivating Mr. Lavrov” to make feedback like that, “however once more, I believe that sort of speak needs to be prevented.” 

In the end, Austin mentioned he believes “each day” is necessary in Ukraine’s conflict in opposition to Russia. 

“Daily is necessary in a struggle like this,” he mentioned. “And so we wish to make it possible for as this struggle evolves, that the Ukrainians have what they must be profitable and they are often profitable. They imagine that.” 

“And by the way in which, I imagine that and all of these nations that had been within the room right now, they imagine that as properly,” Austin added.