According to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will appear at a summit with Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and other American weapons manufacturers later this month. The Ukrainian leader is expected to appeal for more arms transfers. On Thursday, top White House officials announced nearly $3 billion in military support for the war.
The conference will be hosted in Austin, Texas on September 21 and Zelensky will appear via video conference. Since the war started, he has spoken with Congress, the Grammys and numerous other worldwide cultural events. The summit later this month will be the first time Zelensky directly appealed to the heads of arms manufacturers.
After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the Biden Administration has announced several rounds of security assistance for Kiev totaling tens of billions of dollars. The US has sent over one dozen High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) produced by Lockheed and thousands of Javelin anti-tank missiles produced jointly by Lockheed and Raytheon. Both companies experienced bumps in their stock prices after the start of the war.
The weapons sales from the war in Ukraine are expected to last well into the future. This week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a group of European officials the US will support Kiev for the long haul. "We will work together to train Ukraine’s forces for the long haul. We will work together to help integrate Ukraine’s capabilities and bolster its joint operations for the long haul," he said.
Austin was formerly employed at Raytheon and has supported the US intervention in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, announced $2.8 billion in military aid for Ukraine. The US has pledged over $15 billion in weapons for Kiev since February.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
He should spend his time in vogue photo shoots instead of pleading with merchants of death. As long as the money is there they will deliver. It’s simple
He’s not actually asking defense industries to give him weapons; what he is really asking is for them to use their ungodly influence over US politicians to force them to increase US aid to Ukraine. So, “please make your citizens spend more of their tax money to support me, because it will all funnel through you and increase your profits!” A win-win, for everyone except, well, the American public. We get stuck with the bill. B2$t@rd$; the whole rotten bunch.
It’s a loss for the dead Ukrainians and Russians too, though at least it won’t cost them any money.
This proxy war is a ghoulish mass human sacrifice. They should have their meeting with piles of burned and mutilated bodies in the room.
The Russians are free to leave.
The Ukrainians were free to abide by Minsk 1 or Minsk 2 and to stop shelling Donbass at any point in the past eight years, and they’re free to negotiate right now. In the meantime, expecting the Russians to abandon Donbass and Crimea is delusional.
Boris on his last visit with Zelensky told him not to negotiate, they are not yet ready. So Zelensky left the table.
Donbass is an internal Ukrainian matter, like Grozny was an internal Russian matter. The border between Russia and Ukraine is defined
Like the borders of Palestine and Serbia were defined? And what good did an internationally recognized border do for Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Panama, Grenada, etc.?
I agree we shouldn’t invade people, I am totally opposed to invasion as a means of doing business. So that requires me to be opposed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well. I freely admit the USA has done bad stuff, and if we are comparing piles of bodies, our pile is way way way taller than Russias pile. That doesn’t excuse Russia.
Compare piles and ponder who’s really at fault on this. The US deliberately and over a period of years drove Russia to action, and they were going to keep pushing until it happened. The Russians could deal with it now from a position of relative strength or later from a position of weakness. They made the right decision. And it’s our fault as Americans for letting our government act the way it does.
Russia decided to invade Ukraine all on their own. This is on them.
So you refuse all evidence.
The US decided to provoke Russia all on their own. This is on them.
For reasons that YOU said were legitimate concerns before they invaded. And since those concerns were addressed with more provocations, what were their options? The status quo? Just saying they should leave, or they should never have invaded doesn’t solve anything and if their concerns aren’t addressed people will continue to die.
I don’t know the extent of US support for the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected government in 2014. But the instant recognition of the coup perpetrators, Biden’s personal efforts to have Yanukovych prosecuted, millions of dollars in military support, and disdain for the Minsk agreements by Washington illustrate US determination to seize whatever it is that we want in southern and eastern Ukraine. Neither Kyev nor D.C. have ever been concerned about the people who actually live in those areas.
The Maidan coup was staged by the US, Victoria Nuland was recorded on scene hammering out the “deets”. And no, sociopaths aren’t concerned about people.
NATO troops were in Ukraine since 2014 provoking Russia with maneuvers all the time with continuously rotating NATO troops. Ukrainians were trained and armed to NATO standards for years, they had a civil war during that time killing about 14 000 people in the Donbas Russian speaking region. All before any Russian soldier set foot on the ground.
Sure and Ukraine is its very own country. Shame about the bother in the Donbas but that is an internal Ukrainian problem. Nice to see that the NATO training seems to be effective, ought to give Vlad pause about invading actual NATO countries
“The bother”? Is that how you describe the deaths of thousands?
How about “the slaughter”?
Sure that is another word now lets talk Grozny
So do you condemn the provocation of a US coup and installing NATO inside Ukraine too?
Nato inside Ukraine at the invitation of the Ukrainian government is scarcely an invasion. The coup meh who knows but again not an invasion.
It was promised that there would be no further admission into NATO.
And is Ukraine part of NATO?
Yes/defacto.
So, anything goes other than invasions? How do you counter a series of things, several things our own country would have gone to war over, short of an invasion? And given the fact that there was no end in sight to the status quo, how long can you wait before you have no choice?
Have you been following the news? The end of the status quo is in sight, parts of Moscow are blocked off, calls for Putin to resign are coming from political leaders. All part of his cunning plan I suppose.
Yes, Putin’s got his tit in a wringer. He needs a situation where he can declare “victory” and GTFO of Ukraine except LPR/DPR/a land corridor connecting those to Crimea. And he may be running out of time to get it.
He’s supposed to travel to Uzbekistan for an SCO summit this week, and I won’t be terribly surprised if the forces that put him in power and keep him in power decide to replace him while he’s gone … or to redirect his plane so that he can get “some much-needed rest” at a conveniently remote dacha upon his return.
But it’s not obvious that Putin being replaced would result in an end to the war rather than an escalation of it.
Short of nukes how does he escalate? He can declare war and start a draft but this would take several months to get additional troops to the front. The big problem he has is his army sucks, they fire a trainload of ammo to try and find a truck with HiMars that will hit their ammo dump on the first shot. They can’t win, they are outclassed, doomed, out spent. I would think the UKr can take a pause now until winter sets in, the Russians aren’t equipped for winter and can’t get supplies to their troops so they will freeze/starve to death.
Maybe they are going to drive down the East side of the river and bypass Kherson ?
What status quo are you talking about? You think the anomosity towards Russia will end if Putin is gone? Other than by installing another Yelston, don’t count on it. The idea that this is all Putin is ridiculous.
I would be really surprised if the Finns attacked, although there is some issue with Stalins thumb, I would be really surprised if the Poles attack although they remember some bother in a forest a long time ago. Animosity towards Russia has been well earned by the Russians. They are going to lose, they better start planning for that.
HAHAHA! Who invaded Ukraine the “independent, sovereign nation” in 2014 and overthrew the elected government then refused any talks for 8 years??
Minsk agreements needed talks between Uke and Donbass, but Ukes declined. Russia wants neutral Ukraine, NOT enemy.
As they said to NATO at the end of last year “We live here where you are trying to destroy. We cannot retreat further.” Go Home and make Ukraine be neutral.
No body has invaded Russia, Russias borders with Ukraine are defined by a treaty 1999 I believe.
Only governments with no idea how much money they are printing can give away $Billions in weapons.
Publicly traded companies will only give products (Weapons) for cash.
Hopefully the manufacturers will tell corrupt criminal Lord Voldemort Zelensky to produce cash for weapons or take a hike.
Peace protesters need to be active.
In Russia, and avoid any windows
He rang the bell at the stock market.
I guess this is the reason they call it a ‘Defense Industry’.
I’d call it an “offense industry” Donna, since it’s so extremely offensive!
Headline: Oligarch invites missile slingers to epic gangbang. No condoms.
And I wonder why this site won’t publish me.
When Zelensky asks our politicians for more aid, he already is asking the defense industry indirectly. Just look at their stock portfolios.
The revolving door for government, media, MIC, medical industry, and finance works great. finance. They know each other well, conflict of interest is neve an issue.
Yes president Biden promised the weapon sales will lost long into the future, and like Zelensky was told by Boris they are not ready for any negotiation with Russia. And Zelensky will ask for more weapons. Does anyone know what Zelenskys cut on the deals is?
Note to ZelBoy:
LEAVE US AMERIKKKAN TAXPAYERS ALONE!
We are not responsible for your provocations! If you want more billions, request that ByeDone, tRump and Obummer provide them for you!
Austin of Arms Dealers and Blinken the Top Diplomat make a fine pair for the Ukronazis sucking in money for “defense”.
F*CK ZelBoy!
I want my tax dollars making the water of Jackson, Mississippi drinkable!