United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on Saturday (Jan 7) released a statement taking “full responsibility” for failing to disclose a recent and ongoing week-long hospitalisation following reports that the White House was not informed about it until at least Thursday morning.

Prez Biden kept in dark about Austin’s hospitalisation, US defence secretary pledges transparency

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday (Nov 20) that Washington's support for Kyiv was for the long haul. "The message that I bring you today, Mr President, is that the United States of America is with you, we will remain with you for the long haul," Austin told Zelensky as he paid a visit to Kyiv to reassure Ukraine on US support in its fight against Russia.

US will remain with war-torn Ukraine for 'long haul': Pentagon chief

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

With right equipment, Ukraine can win war, says US defence secy Austin after meeting Zelensky