Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley answer questions during a press conference at NATO headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, June 15, 2022. Austin hosted the third meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that brought together nearly 50 countries for continuing discussions on support to Ukraine in its war with Russia. (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin announced today that President Joe Biden approved an additional $1 billion security assistance package for Ukraine including 18 more 155 mm M777 towed howitzers. Austin convened the third meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium at NATO headquarters. Defense Secretary Austin also noted that representatives from more than 50 nations pledged to get additional military capabilities into the hands of Ukrainian forces battling Russian invaders. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley also participated. Austin told the more than 45 nations gathered at NATO headquarters that the stakes are too high to fail in this effort.
“Ukraine is facing a pivotal moment on the battlefield,” Austin said. “We’re seeing what [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy warned us about: after failing to take Kyiv and after reassessing its combat aims, Russia has shifted its focus to the Donbas. Russia continues to indiscriminately bombard Ukraine’s sovereign territory and recklessly endanger Ukrainian civilians. So, we must intensify our shared commitment to Ukraine’s self-defense. And we must push ourselves even harder to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself, its citizens and its territory.”
Russia’s “unprovoked and indefensible invasion” is a menace to European security and “an affront to the rules-based international order”
Secretary Austin added that “Russia’s unprovoked and indefensible invasion isn’t just a danger to Ukraine; it’s a menace to European security and it’s an affront to the rules-based international order that protects us all, so we must continue to rise to meet this challenge. Ukraine’s soldiers and citizens are doing just that, and they are defending their homeland with resolve, grit and ingenuity, and they’ve inspired us all and they need our help.”
The United States has already provided Ukraine with howitzers, Javelins, ammunition, unmanned aerial systems, Mi-17 helicopters, counterartillery radars, tactical vehicles and electronic jamming equipment.
“By working together, we can help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s cruel assault,” Austin said. “We can strengthen Ukraine’s security for the long haul, and we can rally together to show that rules matter and that might does not make right.”
