During his speech at the 18th meeting of the contact group on defence assistance to Ukraine in the Rammstein format, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin called on partners to provide Ukraine with more air defence systems.
Austin urges partners to provide Ukraine with more air defence systems
Putin continues to sacrifice staggering numbers of Russian troops in his ill-advised and reckless war of choice. Putin hopes that missiles and drones will demoralize the Ukrainian people, break the morale of the Ukrainian military, the Pentagon chief said in a statement.
Austin emphasized that partners should not have doubts about supporting Ukraine.
LIVE: @SecDef Lloyd J. Austin III speaks from the Pentagon at a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. https://t.co/SBTX6R8Fs5
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) January 23, 2024
As before, the head of the US Defense Ministry also noted that Washington remains focused on supporting Ukraine.
He also added that the head of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Rustem Umyerov, will inform the Western partners about the situation on the battlefield at the meeting.
The struggle of Ukraine is important for all our countries. Ukraine's incredibly brave troops continue their battle against the Kremlin invaders on the vast front line in eastern and southern Ukraine under harsh winter weather conditions, Austin said.
Why Partners Should Strengthen Support for Ukraine
The minister reminded that Ukraine has recaptured more than half of the territory that was occupied since the unprovoked invasion of Russia in February 2022.
Our support for Ukraine's fight against tyranny makes all our countries more secure. If we falter, if we falter, if we fail to contain other would-be aggressors, we will invite more bloodshed and chaos. Therefore, a sovereign and protected Ukraine is critically important for global security, and we must not give up our support for Ukraine, the head of the Pentagon emphasises.
Separately, he said there is no reliable evidence about the possibility of using the American weapons provided to Ukraine for purposes other than their intended purpose and that Ukraine uses the received weapons exclusively for defence against Russian aggression.
Austin also said that since the last Ramstein meeting in November 2023, countries such as Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Great Britain have provided significant military aid to Ukraine worth billions of dollars.
We must focus on Ukraine's immediate needs on the battlefield and on providing assistance to Ukraine to strengthen, moderniіe and maintain its Defense Forces for the long term, — said the US Secratary of Defense.
