Ukraine allies vow strong backing at key talks in Germany

Ramstein Air Base (Germany): US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday that international backing for Ukraine holds “strong and true” as he opened a meeting in Germany with allies to discuss further support for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier in the day had urged Stoltenberg to push NATO members for even more from them, including warplanes, artillery and armoured equipment.

“Our support for the forces of freedom in Ukraine holds strong and true,” Austin said, as he began the discussions, a year after the format of talks between defence leaders began to coordinate aid for Ukraine.

“At today’s contact group meeting, we’ll focus on three key issues — air defence, ammunition and enablers,” said Austin, referring to logistics and other support.

.@SecDef: Earlier this week, the U.S. announced our 36th Presidential Drawdown of security assistance for Ukraine, valued at $325 million. We’ve now provided more than $35 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. pic.twitter.com/Sv3ey23Mzp

— Department of Defense