US Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin welcomed greater than 40 international locations to the second Ukraine Contact Group assembly, held nearly, on Might 23, virtually three months to the day for the reason that struggle in Ukraine started.
Austin thanked the protection ministers from the opposite 40 nations for attending and highlighted the progress made for the reason that first contact group assembly at Ramstein Air Base in Germany final month, spotlighting Australia, Canada and the UK for navy tools they’ve offered to Ukraine since that assembly.
Since final month’s contact group assembly, Australia and Canada “dedicated to offering M777 Howitzers, and in simply 4 weeks, all these techniques have been delivered to the Ukrainians,” Austin mentioned. The UK additionally “delivered brimstone missiles and a brand new short-range protection system,” and “many international locations have pushed laborious to face up vital new coaching missions, and we’ve watched these efforts make an actual distinction in actual time,” he added.
Ukrainian Protection Minister Oleksii Reznikov, the deputy commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and Ukraine’s protection intelligence consultant joined the digital assembly. 4 new international locations additionally joined the assembly who weren’t in attendance at Ramstein final month: Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Eire and Kosovo.
Austin mentioned he is aware of the opposite protection ministers on the decision “perceive the menace that Russian aggression poses to European safety and to the rules-based worldwide order that retains us all safe.”
“Ukraine’s trigger has rallied the free world. Since Russia’s invasion on the twenty fourth of February greater than 40 of our allies and companions from across the globe have stepped as much as present important safety help to assist Ukraine defend itself, and in the present day we’re honored to have protection leaders from 44 international locations with us, in addition to representatives from NATO and the EU,” Austin mentioned.
At present’s contact group assembly will “start with shows by Ukraine and US navy management on the scenario on the bottom,” Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Protection for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, mentioned. Session one will “start with a battlefield replace on the present struggle, how Ukraine is leveraging worldwide donations, and Ukraine’s instant fight necessities,” she added.
Session two of the assembly will deal with “taking part ministers” who “will announce progress made on donations,” to Ukraine, and session three will focus “on capabilities and coordination with a evaluation of how we’re assembly Ukraine’s precedence necessities and overview of the worldwide deconfliction and coordination cell and updates by ministers,” Cooper added.
