Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin, speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, has stated that Russia's losses during the first year of its full-scale war in Ukraine are unprecedented, surpassing the cumulative toll of all conflicts since World War II.

Source: US Department of Defense

Details: Austin reported that Russia has suffered at least 700,000 military casualties (both killed and wounded) since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moreover, the Kremlin’s military expenditures have exceeded US$200 billion. He described these figures as a "staggering price" of Russian aggression.

He emphasised the importance of countering the Kremlin and supporting Ukraine. He highlighted the success of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting (also known as the Ramstein Group), which has provided Ukraine with over US$57 billion in direct security assistance.

"Together, we have helped Ukraine survive an all-out assault by the largest military in Europe," Austin remarked.

Austin also noted that the US and its allies have avoided nuclear confrontation with Russia, strengthened NATO’s eastern flank and prompted Alliance members to increase annual defence spending by nearly US$80 billion.

Background:

• US President-elect Donald Trump acknowledged that US aid to Kyiv may be reduced after his return to the White House on 20 January.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on 8 December that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since 24 February 2022.
• On the same day, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin and Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umierov discussed plans for the next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group during a phone call.

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