US affirms commitment to Philippines, Ukraine --- AFP

Defense chief, secretary of state challenge Russia, China in separate remarks Tuesday RAMSTEIN AIR BASE/MANILA: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin promised Tuesday that the United States will not let Ukraine fail in fighting off Russia, even as further aid remains stalled in Congress and Kyiv’s forces face shortages of munitions. In Manila, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States stands by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally the Philippines against armed attack in the South China Sea. Blinken’s visit to Manila is his second since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and is part of a brief Asia tour. The two statements come as the United States attempts to reinforce support for its allies amid world-wide instability. The Republican-led House of Representatives has been blocking $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine and the United States has warned that a recent $300 million package would only last a few weeks. The “United States will not let Ukraine fail”, Austin said at the opening of a meeting in Germany of Ukraine’s international supporters, at which he is seeking to secure further assistance for Kyiv. “We remain determined to provide Ukraine with the resources that it needs to resist the Kremlin’s aggression,” he said. Blinken’s renewed defense pledge to the Philippines follows recent incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels near disputed reefs off the Southeast Asian country’s coast, including collisions. “These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy, but they’re also critical to the interests of the region, the United States and the world,” Blinken said at a joint press conference with his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo. “That’s why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defense commitments, including under the mutual defense treaty.” ‘Incremental gains’ Washington announced $300 million in assistance for Ukraine last week, but Austin said it was only possible due to savings on recent purchases. “We were only able to support this much-needed package by identifying some unanticipated contract savings”, Austin said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement the day before that it is “critically important for us that the Congress soon completes all the necessary procedures and makes a final decision” on aid for Kyiv. Top US military officer General Charles “CQ” Brown told journalists en route to the Ukraine meeting that Kyiv’s troops are “having to pay attention to their supply rates and how they execute.” There is an “incremental kind of back and forth between Ukraine and Russia”, with “incremental gains on both sides”, Brown said. But he noted that “even as the Russians have gained territory, they do it at a pretty big cost in number of casualties, like in personnel, but also in number of pieces of equipment that are being taken out.” Austin said in his remarks Tuesday that “Russia has paid a staggering cost for (President Vladimir) Putin’s imperial dreams”, using “up to $211 billion to equip, deploy, maintain, and sustain its imperial aggression against Ukraine.” “At least 315,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded” since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Austin said, adding that Ukraine has also “sunk, destroyed, or damaged some 20 medium-to-large Russian navy vessels.” ‘Rock solid’ alliance Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that has declared its stance baseless. After Blinken’s remarks, China said the United States has “no right” to interfere in the South China Sea. “The United States is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in maritime issues that are between China and the Philippines,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press conference. In his meeting with Marcos, Blinken said the alliance between the United States and the Philippines was “more than rock solid” and was “an absolute priority for President Biden”. Top US officials have repeatedly said that “an armed attack” against Philippine public vessels, aircraft, armed forces and coastguard would invoke the 1951 US-Philippines mutual defense treaty in which Washington is obliged to defend its ally. Marcos has expressed “great alarm” over the recent confrontations that have sparked diplomatic sparring between Manila and Beijing. ‘Advancing the alliance’ Beijing has accused Washington of using the Philippines as a “pawn” in the dispute over the South China Sea and various reefs. China deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarized to reinforce its claims. Manalo told the news conference that he had emphasized to Blinken the importance of “more substantial US investments towards enhancing our defense and civilian law enforcement capabilities”. Blinken’s visit was aimed at “advancing the alliance”, said Renato Cruz De Castro, professor for international studies at De La Salle University in Manila. Marcos would also likely be interested to hear from Blinken what the “trigger points” are for the United States to invoke their mutual defense treaty, said Herman Kraft, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines. Relations between Washington and Manila were rocky under former president Rodrigo Duterte, who pivoted towards China. Since Marcos took power, however, he has sought to deepen cooperation with the United States and regional neighbors, while standing up to Chinese aggression towards Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. — AFP