US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his hope that Russia’s setbacks in Ukraine will prevent the country’s leadership from duplicating its actions abroad.

He emphasized that if Ukraine is given the proper help, it may still win the war.

He also stated that the US will increase military aid to Ukraine and other European countries by $713 million (£559 million).

The West, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is aiming to “divide Russian society and destroy Russia from within.”

After visiting Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Mr. Austin, a former four-star general, spoke. The mission, which included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was the highest-level visit by US officials to Ukraine since the invasion began over two months ago.

The three-hour discussion between the US and Ukrainian parties comes as Russia intensifies its military operation in the country’s south and east.

Mr. Austin told reporters following the visit to Poland that the US wants to see “Russia diminished to the point where it can’t do the types of things it did in invading Ukraine.”

With “the appropriate weapons” and “the right backing,” US officials still believe Ukraine can win the fight, according to the Pentagon commander.

Mr. Austin’s words advocating for a weaker Russia were unusually forceful for a US military secretary, according to BBC international reporter James Landale. It’s one thing to assist Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression, he argued, but it’s quite another to talk about undermining Russia’s capabilities.

Mr. Putin looked to be responding to Mr. Austin’s words by accusing the West of seeking to “destroy Russia” during a speech on Monday.

According to US defense sources, Ukraine would get about $332 million (£260 million) of the new military money revealed.

It raises the total US security aid to Ukraine to more than $3.7 billion (£2.9 billion) since the incursion began.

Mr. Zelensky has been begging Western politicians for weeks to expand the supply of military weapons, claiming that if his soldiers are given fighter aircraft and other vehicles, they can defeat Russia’s military.

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