The meeting of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the 11th such get-together since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, was being attended by officials from more than 40 countries, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Mariusz Błaszczak. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at the opening of the meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany that the United States and allies would discuss providing more air defence and ammunition for Ukraine.
Speaking at the start of the meeting, Austin said the allies were committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes and rejected what he described as Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to carve out spheres of influence at gunpoint, the Reuters news agency reported.
'All allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member': NATO chief
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Friday morning that "all NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member" of the Western military alliance in the future.
He said that "Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO, as Allies have agreed," but added that "the main focus now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails because if Ukraine doesn't prevail as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe, there is no meaning in discussing membership."
"We need to preserve the unity in supporting Ukraine and that's the main focus also of the meeting today," Stoltenberg also said.
The NATO chief said in Kyiv on Thursday that “Ukraine’s future lies in NATO” and pledged continued support for the war-torn country, according to news reports.
“NATO stands with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes,” Stoltenberg said in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday.
He renewed his invitation for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to attend a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Photo: PAP/EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
Friday is day 422 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, defense.gov, nato.int