“Ready for a counterattack”
The meeting comes a year after the first, which brought together NATO defense leaders and representatives from other countries to discuss the security situation and how to assist Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Ministers and representatives from about 50 countries gathered for a US-led meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Photo: Reuters
The Contact Group, established a year ago, has raised more than $55 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, more than $35 billion of which has come from the United States, Mr. Austin said. The focus of the talks this time will be “to focus on the key needs that Ukraine needs right now,” Mr. Austin said.
The US Secretary of Defense specifically emphasized three types of equipment: air defense, ammunition and "support equipment", meaning support equipment or supplies or non-lethal support vehicles that can help troops on the battlefield.
He also praised Europe's efforts to boost ammunition production, as a large-scale and protracted conflict using modern weapons has shown how limited Western ammunition production capacity has been in recent decades.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the goal was to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needed to launch a counter-offensive to retake territory in the spring or summer.
“I am confident that they will now be able to liberate even more territory,” Mr Stoltenberg told journalists when asked if Ukraine had what it needed to successfully launch a counter-offensive.
Leopard and Abrams tanks
While the US has been less vocal about the issue, tanks are also at the forefront of the talks, as is the issue of field maintenance of existing equipment. German Defense Minister Vladimir Pistorius sought to focus on the issue earlier Friday, noting that wear and tear is often much worse when used in combat.
Germany, Poland and Ukraine have signed a trilateral agreement to set up a repair center for Leopard (or Gepard) tanks used in Ukraine during its conflict with Russia.
M1 Abrams tank made in the US. Photo: Wiki
Mr Pistorius said deliveries of German tanks were progressing rapidly without going into specifics, while Denmark and the Netherlands said ahead of the talks that they planned to supply Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2A4 battle tanks.
And the first signs that the US M1 Abrams tanks - announced for delivery to Ukraine on the same day as the German Leopards - will reach European soil have also appeared.
About 31 Abrams tanks will arrive at the Grafenwöhr Training Area in Germany by the end of May, and troops will begin training a few weeks later, U.S. officials said. Similar training programs for Ukrainian troops learning how to operate the new equipment have taken place at Grafenwöhr near the border with the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, Canada said early Friday that it would send Ukraine a $39 million (about $29 million) package of equipment including 40 new sniper rifles and 16 radio sets. Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand also announced a separate contribution to NATO funds for aid to Ukraine.
Hoang Anh (according to AFP, DPA, Reuters)
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