The countries participating in the Contact Group in Ramstein format have allocated more than $98 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and are moving at full speed to provide Ukraine with what it desperately needs, and this must continue, and new solutions must be found, especially for the challenges of Ukraine's air defense. This was stated by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the beginning of the Ramstein meeting on Thursday, UNN reports.
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"I am proud that this contact group has provided more than $98 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since February 2022. And this coalition continues to find innovative and sustainable ways to accelerate critical capabilities to meet Ukraine's most pressing needs," Austin said.
"It's been almost two months since President Biden signed the National Security Supplemental Bill into law. The United States continues to provide urgently needed security assistance... Since the supplemental became law, the United States has already delivered tens of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of anti-tank mines, hundreds of MLRS and anti-tank weapons, and more air defense capabilities to help Ukraine repel Russian forces near Kharkiv," the Pentagon chief said.
He noted that Biden also announced a new aid package, "which will provide Ukraine with more air defense equipment, armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, artillery systems and ammunition.
He also highlighted some of the decisions of other countries. "I am grateful to Sweden for announcing its largest military assistance package to date - approximately $1.23 billion. This includes two airborne surveillance and control aircraft that will be critical to Ukraine's long-range air surveillance capabilities," the U.S. Secretary of Defense said.
"I am also grateful to the host country of Belgium, which has committed to delivering 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by 2028, as well as an additional $1 billion in military assistance this year," he said.
Austin also expressed gratitude "for her recent pledge to increase the number of air defense missiles.
And so countries are moving at flank speed to get Ukraine the capabilities that it so urgently needs. And we must keep doing so. We must keep finding new solutions, especially for Ukraine's air-defense challenges
"And we will continue to support Ukraine's long-term security. And you can see that in Ukraine's new bilateral security agreements with Belgium, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden," Austin said.