Ramstein: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley press conference after the 8th meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
- Austin called it a “decisive moment” for the defense of Ukraine.
- “This $2.5 billion security assistance package will help Ukraine meet its air defense needs and urgent need for armored and combat vehicles,” the U.S. Defense Secretary said.
- “Today’s meeting of the contact group focused on Ukraine’s needs for air defense & armored vehicles, as well as on training for Ukrainian troops,”
- “As Russia’s cruelty deepens, the resolve of this Contact Group grows,” the U.S. Defense Secretary said.
- “Ukraine will receive air defense/anti-missile defense systems “Patriot” from the USA, Germany and the Netherlands”, the U.S. Defense Secretary said.
- “We will support Ukraine against Russian aggression for the long haul,” the U.S. Defense Secretary said.
- “Over my 43 years in uniform, this is the most unified I’ve ever seen NATO,” General Milley said.
- On the support of Ukraine by the USA and allies “as much as it takes for as long as it takes,” according to General Milley.
- “Eventually, Putin, Russia, will realize the full extent of their strategic miscalculation,” General Milley said.
- Germany has not made a decision on the provision of Leopard tanks”, the U.S. Defense Secretary said.
- Also, he says that Poland will continue to provide tanks, like other countries.
- “This isn’t really about one single platform, and so our goal is to bring together the capability that Ukraine needs to be successful in the near term,” the U.S. Defense Secretary – about the provision of infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers by the U.S. and other countries.
- “This will be a very capable package. I really believe that it will enable Ukrainians to be successful. This is a combined-arms effort that we’ve brought together,” the U.S. Defense Secretary said.
- “This is a very, very difficult fight…there’s significant fighting ongoing,” General Milley said about the fighting in the East.
- “This year it will be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from all Russian-occupied Ukraine,” General Milley.
- “I think it’s possible for Ukraine to liberate as much Ukrainian territory as possible with new capabilities,” General Milley.
- “Putin should and could end this war right now, right today, because it’s turning into an absolute catastrophe for Russia: massive amounts of casualties,” General Milley said.
- According to General Milley, “the war will end at some sort negotiating table.”
- Continuation of the U.S Department of Defense briefing. About tanks: “There is no linkage between providing M1s and providing Leopards,” the U.S. Defense Secretary.
- About the training of our military on new equipment, and about logistics: “We have a very short period of time to deliver new equipment to Ukraine and train the troops. It will be a very, very difficult task, but we will do it,” General Milley.
- About the losses of the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine: “The Russians have suffered a tremendous amount of casualties … I would say it’s significantly well over 100,000 now. That includes their regular military and also their mercenaries in the Wagner Group. We must note that Ukraine has also suffered tremendously.” General Milley.
