Austin is admitted to the critical care unit due to complications from prostate cancer.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has canceled a trip to Brussels to meet with NATO ministers and work on military aid to Ukraine after being hospitalized with complications from prostate cancer, U.S. officials said.
Austin, 70, was taken to Walter Reed Military Medical Center on Sunday with “symptoms suggestive of an emergency bladder problem,” the Pentagon said.
Austin was scheduled to fly to Brussels on Tuesday to attend a regular meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group, a group of about 50 countries that coordinates military aid to Kiev. The meeting will now be held virtually, two U.S. defense officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
After the Ukraine talks, Austin was scheduled to attend the regular NATO defense ministers' meeting, also in Brussels. It was not immediately clear whether Kathleen Hicks, the deputy defense secretary who took over Mr. Austin's role, would attend the meeting in her place.
Austin did not reveal that he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in December and was subsequently admitted to the hospital in January to deal with complications. This month, the Cabinet secretary apologized for not telling Biden and his senior staff about his cancer diagnosis, adding that his health scare was a “gut punch” that upset Biden.
The latest hospitalization was made public shortly after he was taken by security personnel to the Military Medical Center.
Mr. Austin is scheduled to testify before Congress on February 29 about the secrecy surrounding his first hospitalization.
His visit to Brussels would have come at a critical moment in Europe.
The US Senate moved closer to passing a narrowly divided $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Sunday, despite growing opposition from Republican hardliners and former US President Donald Trump to continuing aid to Ukraine. , showing that bipartisanship is unabated.
The bill includes $61 billion for Ukraine, and the funding comes at a critical time for Kiev, which is rapidly approaching the second anniversary of Russia's all-out invasion while the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine have been largely stationary for months. is considered extremely important.
Trump, who aims to return to power in November's presidential election, sparked a storm of criticism from the White House and Western officials over the weekend after suggesting he would not spend enough on defense or even defend NATO allies. Ta. Russia attacks them.