US Defense Chief Highlights Need to Integrate Support for Ukraine

NATO needs to integrate and synchronize its support for Kiev, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.

“Our goal isn’t just to provide equipment. It’s to provide full and lasting capabilities. So today, we’ll continue talking about integrating and synchronizing our support so that Ukraine has combat-credible capabilities. <…> We’ll discuss industrial-base initiatives that will help sustain our support to Ukraine for the long term,” Austin pointed out.

“A consortium of countries – including Germany, Poland, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands – are working together to provide Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine,” Austin said. “Ukraine is committed to making sure that the equipment we’re providing gets to Ukraine’s defenders on the frontlines,” he added.

On January 20, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group held a meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the meeting had reaffirmed the West’s determination to further escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

Source: Agencies