The meeting of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the 13th such get-together since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, was being attended by officials from around 50 countries, news outlets reported.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during the meeting that the Ukraine Defense Contact Group "has come together once again to stand united in Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and freedom."
"We are united in our commitment to provide Ukraine with the training and the equipment to help it succeed on the battlefield," Austin said.
"The nearly 50 countries participating in today’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group stand united with you and Ukraine’s brave defenders," he told his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov on Thursday.
After the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, NATO defence ministers were expected to convene among themselves to discuss Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine and a package of agreements expected to be approved by the alliance's Vilnius summit next month, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak. Photo: EPA/STEPHANIE LECOCQ
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Thursday is day 477 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP
