US defence secretary visits Ukraine in show of support

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin is visiting Ukraine in a show of the United States' support for Kyiv just two weeks ahead of a US presidential election that is casting uncertainty over the future of support from western countries.

Mr Austin's trip - his fourth - will include in-depth discussions about American efforts to help Ukraine shore up its defences as Russia's forces advance in the east.

However, it is not expected to include any agreement on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's biggest requests, such as lifting restrictions on using US-supplied weapons to hit targets far beyond Ukraine's borders.

As President Biden's administration winds down, Mr Austin signalled continuity in US support.

"We're going to continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend its sovereign territory," the defence secretary told reporters travelling with him to Ukraine.

"We've watched this fight evolve over time. And each time that it does evolve, we have risen to the occasion to meet [Ukraine's] needs to make sure that they were effective on the battlefield."

His visit comes ahead of the 5 November US presidential vote, in which former president Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, is seeking re-election in a close race with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.

Mr Trump has signalled that he would be more reluctant than President Biden to continue to support Ukraine, which could deprive Kyiv of its biggest military and financial backer.

Mr Austin played down concerns, saying he saw support for Ukraine from both Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress.

"I've seen bipartisan support for Ukraine over the last 2-1/2 years, and I fully expect that we'll continue to see the bipartisan support from Congress," he said.

The retired general has been one of Ukraine's staunchest advocates, building a coalition of dozens of nations who have supplied Ukraine with weaponry that has helped it deal heavy blows to Moscow's forces.

One US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that 600,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, with September being its heaviest month of fatalities and injuries.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin seems content to invest more and more forces in a costly advance in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, which he says he wants to gain full control over.

In recent weeks, Russia has surrounded towns in the Donetsk region and slowly constricted them until Ukrainian units are forced to withdraw.

"It's a very tough fight and it's a tough slog," Mr Austin said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has been seeking to keep its war in focus in western countries, even as the expanding conflicts in the Middle East grab the international spotlight.

President Zelensky met Mr Austin at NATO headquarters in Brussels last Thursday, where he pitched his "victory plan".

The Ukrainian leader received pledges of continued support but no endorsement from key allies of his call for an immediate NATO-membership invitation.

Asked about Mr Zelensky's victory plan at NATO headquarters on Friday, Mr Austin responded: "It's not my position to evaluate publicly his plan".

Ukraine may need to start making tough decisions about how to employ its stretched fighting forces, including whether it will hold onto territory Kyiv seized in Russia's Kursk region in a surprise offensive this summer, experts said.

The Kursk offensive caught Mr Austin and the US government off-guard. Ukraine hoped it would wrest the battlefield initiative from Russia including by diverting Moscow's forces from the eastern front.

But President Putin has remained focused on seizing the key city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, which is an important logistics hub for Kyiv's war effort.

Even with billions of dollars worth of US military support, including the provision of F-16 fighter jets, Abrams tanks and more, Ukraine faces a tough fight ahead.

Although its invasion of Ukraine has inflicted blows to Russia's economy, made it more isolated diplomatically and battered its military, Moscow "is not ready to call it quits," a senior US defence official said.

"So that does place a steep burden on the Ukrainians," the official added.

59 Russian drones overnight - Ukraine military

Ukraine's air defences downed 59 out of 116 Russian drones launched overnight, the military.

The air force said it lost track of 45 drones that likely fell into Ukrainian territory following active electronic warfare measures. It noted that up to ten drones were still in Ukrainian air space.

"There have been several UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) hits on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure," the military said on social media.