As expected, the military assistance demanded by Ukraine has been on the agenda at a NATO meeting in Brussels. The White House confirmed on Wednesday night the delivery of a $ 1 billion weapons package to Ukraine.
16:57 • Updated 9:08 PM
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austinin according to the West, there is no time to lose in terms of arming Ukraine.
– We can’t afford to relax now, we can’t slow down. The stakes are too high in the situation, Austin said on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the US-hosted Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels.
A group of more than 45 countries is coordinating the delivery of arms assistance to Ukraine. The group is now meeting for the third time since Russia launched its offensive war on Ukraine on 24 February.
The meeting will be held jointly by the NATO Defense Ministers. Finland has also been invited to a two-day NATO meeting.
Before the two-day meeting, Ukraine published a list of weapons and supplies it needs in the war. The list is said to include a thousand howitzers, 300 rocket launcher systems and 500 tanks.
“Numbers on the Russian side”
According to the US Secretary of Defense, he is in close contact with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov with. Austin described the situation as critical.
“We need to work harder to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself, its citizens and its territory,” Austin said.
The Minister of Defense also repeated the same statement at a press conference held after the meeting.
Ukraine, for example, has estimated that Russia currently has ten times as much firepower. The fighting in eastern Ukraine is fierce as Russia has concentrated its attack on the Donbass region.
In addition to Austin, the commander of the U.S. Armed Forces, General, spoke at the press conference Mark Milley.
Despite Western arms aid, Russia is on the neck in eastern Ukraine.
– The numbers are on the Russian side, Milley said at the press conference.
However, Milley stressed that Russia has made relatively slow progress in Ukraine. It has faced both moral and logistical problems during its attack, the U.S. Armed Forces commander listed.
Biden confirmed a billion aid package
To date, the United States has pledged more than $ 24 billion in military aid to Ukraine alone. Over the past month, the United States has said, among other things, that it is supplying Ukraine with medium-range rocket launchers.
President Joe Biden confirmed (switch to another service) Wednesday night Finnish time that the United States will deliver a new $ 1 billion weapons package to Ukraine. For example, before the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the news agency Reuters reported that the United States should announce new arms deliveries soon.
The U.S. billion-dollar package includes artillery, coastal defense equipment, artillery ammunition and advanced missile systems.
15.6. at 9:07 p.m .: News updated throughout with information from the Austin and Milley press conference and confirmation from the White House of the new weapons package.