Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on Western countries to “intensify” their commitment to Ukraine moments before he met with dozens of international counterparts in Brussels.
Austin, who is in Brussels to meet with slightly less than 50 foreign leaders for the third iteration of the Defense Contact Group on Wednesday, in comments made before the private meeting began, said that allies “must push ourselves even harder to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself. Its citizens and its territory.”
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The secretary also acknowledged the Ukrainian leaders’ requests for “new capabilities,” including “long-range fires, armor, and coastal defense,” and he said the United States is providing Ukraine with long-range HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems — a Lockheed Martin product.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that sentiment, pledging more military aid to Ukraine.
“We are extremely focused on stepping up, providing more support, more advanced weapons … because we support them in their just fight against the brutal Russian invasion,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels ahead of the meeting of defense leaders. The Ukrainians will continue to receive “practical support, lethal and non-lethal support from NATO allies and NATO” that would allow them “to continue to modernize its armed forces, something NATO allies have worked on for many years but stepped up now,” he added.
He also said that the alliance will preassign forces and preposition equipment on its eastern flank for the first time since the Cold War, according to CNN.
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“That’s exactly what we are working on with Germany, but we expect all the allies to make similar offers, to enable preassigned forces that are training and are responsible for the defense of specific territories,” Stoltenberg said.
