The meeting of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the ninth such get-together since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, was being attended by officials from more than 50 countries, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said ahead of the meeting that Ukraine had urgent requirements in terms of more military aid, the Reuters news agency reported.
Austin reaffirmed that the United States and NATO allies were there to support Ukraine over the long haul, according to Reuters.
"That shared resolve will sustain Ukraine's momentum in the weeks ahead," Austin said in Brussels on Tuesday. "The Kremlin is still betting that it can wait us out."
After the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, NATO defence ministers were expected to convene among themselves to discuss "Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine" and its "impact on the security of the Euro-Atlantic area," according to the Polish defence ministry.
Key topics for discussion included "the development of defence capabilities and defence industry potential of NATO countries," Polish state news agency PAP reported.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the Western military alliance needed to ensure that Ukraine "gets the advanced and modern systems" it needs to win the war with Russia.
He reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "not preparing for peace" but instead "preparing for more war" in Ukraine.
Tuesday is day 356 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters