Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv early Monday morning, as the future of US aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance of the imminent US presidential election and as Russia continues to make small but steady gains on the battlefield.

Austin’s visit to Kyiv, which included the announcement of $400 million in new U.S. military aid, comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government is under enormous pressure from his country's continued loss of territory at the front and a lukewarm reception in Europe over his plan for victory.