Russian airstrikes that hit the city of Yavoriv in western Ukraine on Sunday illustrate an effort by the Russians to expand their target set in the country, the Pentagon press secretary said.
Ukrainian resistance continues to be “stiff and determined,” a senior defense official said at a Pentagon press briefing.
Contents of the most recent security assistance package approved for Ukraine — valued at $350 million dollars — is on its way now and is billed as “the largest presidential drawdown package in history,” a senior defense official said.
The Defense Department is learning from experiences of the past six months, as Russia built up troops around Ukraine and then invaded that country, and the observations are being incorporated into the National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon press secretary said.
The Russian invasion prong aimed at the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv appears to be stalled, while fighting rages in Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, a senior defense official said.
Although the U.S. will continue to rely on nuclear weapons as a central part of its own strategic deterrence, there will be a need for more than just nuclear weapons to maintain the nation’s security, a Defense Department official said.
Twelve military athletes are scheduled to compete for Team USA during the XIII Winter Paralympic Games.
