Eva Deschamps / May 24, 2022
Today's meeting went very well, he said. Many countries will give ammunition for artillery, coastal defense systems, tanks and other armor that are essential for the Kiev army, he added.
At this second meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, 44 countries met virtually to discuss military assistance to Ukraine at this stage of the conflict.
The Ukrainian Minister of Defense informed the participants about the current military situation, three months after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Among the equipment to be delivered to Ukraine, Denmark has committed to sending a Harpoon anti-ship missile system.
The Harpoon is usually embarked on warships or submarines, but Denmark is the only country to have acquired the modified version of this missile launcher, which is installed on trucks and thus becomes a coastal defense battery.
The Czech Republic has pledged to provide attack helicopters, tanks and missiles.
Since the first contact group meeting last month in Germany, the pace of donations and deliveries has been exceptional, Austin said.
But the U.S. Secretary of Defense refrained from specifying what armaments the United States would provide to Ukraine after Congress approved an additional $40 billion in aid to Ukraine.
He noted, however, that Ukraine's needs had not changed at this stage: artillery, tanks, drones and ammunition.
Everyone here understands what is at stake in this war, and it goes far beyond Europe, he added. Russian aggression is an affront to the international order.
This contact group is scheduled to meet in person on June 15 in Brussels, on the margins of a meeting of NATO ministers.