Russia's Putin will succeed in Ukraine if US halts support to Kyiv: Austin

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday (Oct 31) that Russian President Vladimir Putin would succeed in his war against Ukraine if the United States halted support for Kyiv. Addressing a Senate hearing on supplemental funding for national security priorities including Ukraine, Austin said, "I can guarantee you that without our support, Putin will be successful."

"If we pull the rug out from under them now, Putin will only get stronger and he will be successful in doing what he wants to do in acquiring his neighbour's sovereign territory," he added.

Since Russia began its offensive in Ukraine in February last year, the US has been the biggest donor of military aid for Kyiv committing some $43.9 billion. However, several Republicans have opposed this

'Putin taking advantage of Israel-Hamas war to distract US'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was a part of the Senate hearing, said on Tuesday that Putin was very much trying to take advantage of the Israel-Hamas war "in the hopes that it will distract us... and that it will result in the United States pulling back its resources from Ukraine."

Blinken said a halt to US aid for Ukraine could encourage other countries to follow suit. "This is an instance where we've seen very significant burden-sharing that would almost certainly go away if we go away," he said.

"The message it would send... to each and every one of these countries is that the United States is abandoning ship -- well, we may as well do, too," the secretary of state added.

Israel's retaliatory offensive following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7 has killed more than 8,500 people in the Gaza Strip. On the Israeli side, over 1,400 people have been killed by Hamas.

Antony Blinken also said on Tuesday the Palestinian Authority should retake control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas, with international players potentially filling a role in the interim.

At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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