US defense chief vows continued aid to Ukraine, even as Congress is stalled on funding bill

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vows the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine’s war effort against Russia, even as the U.S. Congress remains stalled over funding for additional weapons. Austin and other defense leaders are meeting in Germany to discuss aid for Ukraine. The meeting comes a week after U.S. defense officials found and used $300 million in contract savings to fund a new package of military aid for Ukraine, pulling weapons from Pentagon stocks. It was the first tranche of weapons sent since December, even as battlefield conditions in Ukraine have been getting increasingly dire. Germany says it’ll provide $542 millions worth of ammunition and armored and transport vehicles to help Ukraine “against Russian aggression.”