Retired Lieutenant General Dan Caine, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, underscored the importance of U.S. military support for Ukraine in a Senate confirmation hearing on April 1.
Caine told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Washington "should focus on what unique capabilities only the U.S. can provide," while European countries should increase their share of support.
Trump tapped Caine for the top U.S. military post after the dismissal of General Charles Q. Brown Jr.
Caine, a retired Air Force officer and a venture capitalist, served in the Iraq War and was the associate director for military affairs at the CIA between 2021 and 2024.
"From a military standpoint, Ukraine has the right to self-defense, and from that standpoint our security assistance helps Ukraine to defend itself," the general said when asked about the importance of U.S. military aid for Kyiv during and after the war.
"Our assistance improves Ukraine's position at the negotiating table and deters Russia from further aggression," he said, nevertheless stressing that Washington is only a "part of the network of states supporting Ukraine's defense."
Some of the comments stand in contrast to Trump's policies, as the new administration has not approved any new military packages for Ukraine and even briefly paused defense assistance allocated by his predecessor, President Joe Biden. At the same time, Trump has urged Europe to take more responsibility for Ukraine's defense.
Even before taking office, the new U.S. president has pledged to broker a swift peace deal in Ukraine. While Kyiv agreed to a full 30-day truce during talks on March 11, Moscow rejected this proposal unless it included a ban on military aid for Ukraine.
Discussing what threat Moscow poses to the U.S. and its allies, Caine said that Russia's conventional capabilities have been strained by its war against Ukraine, but he warned against possible asymmetric activities below the "threshold of military conflict."
The retired general also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains committed to his war goals, including securing territorial gains and "forcing Ukrainian neutrality."
The Kremlin has demanded Ukraine's full withdrawal from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, the four partially occupied Ukrainian regions it illegally claimed as its territory.
Moscow further demandedd a ban on Ukraine's NATO accession, with Trump also ruling out the possibility of Kyiv joining the alliance.
Ukraine has rejected recognizing Russian occupation and restrictions on joining alliances as part of negotiations.
"Moscow likely views the conflict is in its favor and will continue to prosecute the war in 2025 despite high casualties from continued operations," Caine said.
"The conflict in 2025 likely will continue to be a war of attrition, with both sides suffering heavy losses of personnel and materiel."
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
