Russia doesn't have as many advantages as it seems, US defense secretary says

Russia does not hold all the advantages in the full-scale war against Ukraine, outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Jan. 8.

Austin's comments come on the eve of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The Jan. 9 meeting will be the last Ramstein summit before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

"There's a thought that Russia has the ultimate hand here and it has every advantage," Austin told Bloomberg News.

"It has some advantages, but it doesn't completely dominate this equation here. And if it gets what it wants, it will cost them in the future."

Austin said that Ukraine's strengths and Russia's challenges should affect potential peace negotiations, which Trump has promised to initiate after his inauguration. The push for a quick end to the war has led to fears that Kyiv will be pressured into unfavorable concessions, including loss of land.

Russia currently occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory. President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged that Ukraine's military cannot currently retake all of it by force and has said that some regions, including Crimea, will have to be liberated through diplomatic means.

Even if Russia gains territory in a negotiated agreement, Austin said, continuing to occupy Ukrainian regions will drain Moscow's resources.

"Russia will have to invest a lot of land forces to hold it," he said.

Austin also noted Russia's dependence on Iran and North Korea for assistance, including "weapons and munitions and also now people." Up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been dispatched to Russia's Kursk Oblast, to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukrainian forces.

The outgoing U.S. administration has said that it aims to bolster Ukraine's position in upcoming negotiations with an influx of military aid and efforts to shore up its international alliances. The UDCG summit on Jan. 9 will focus on supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities through the year 2027, according to the Pentagon.

The UDCG consists of over 50 countries, including all 32 NATO members, that convenes at the Ramstein Air Base on a regular basis to coordinate military support for Ukraine. Trump has not yet outlined his plans for the contact group, and some believe the next meeting may be its last.  

Ahead of his final Ramstein summit, Austin defended U.S. President Joe Biden's strategy on Ukraine.

"What it did was it helped Ukraine survive, it helped Ukraine defend its sovereign territory," Austin said.

"The loss of 700,000 troops killed and wounded — that would've been beyond imagination three years ago," he said, referring to the heavy losses Russia has sustained over the course of the full-scale war.

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