A historic meeting of the International Ukraine Security Consultative Group, convened by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, has begun in Germany.
The meeting, which is taking place on Tuesday in Ramstein (Germany) at the US air base, is attended by heads of defense agencies of more than 40 countries, said Austin opening the event he hosted. The meeting is also attended by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov.
The flags of the USA and Ukraine are set behind the host.
“I am happy to be here with all of you today. Thank you all for gathering so quickly for this historic meeting of the Ukraine Security Consultative Group. This is an extraordinary meeting with more than forty countries represented here today. We are here to help Ukraine win the battle against Russia’s unwarranted invasion and to prepare Ukraine’s defense for the challenges of tomorrow”, Austin said.
He reminded those present that he had arrived here shortly after his visit with Secretary of State Blinken to Kyiv, during which he had “a productive discussion with President Zelenskyy and his team on the support we provide, the capabilities Ukraine needs and changing needs in connection with the changing situation in Donbass and in the south”.
“This visit only emphasized the urgency that we all share. I want this group to leave here today with a common and clear understanding of Ukraine’s medium-term security needs, because we will continue to do everything we can to meet them. The existing coordination mechanism can become even stronger with your help, and we will be able to do more with our defense production base to continue helping Ukraine defend itself even better,” the Secretary of State explained.
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