DUS Secretary of State Lloyd Austin emphasized on Tuesday at the US Air Force Base Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate that Washington would continue to support Kiev. “We won’t let them down,” Austin said, not a day should be wasted. At Austin's invitation, the so-called Ukraine Contact Group met again to coordinate military support for Ukraine in its defensive battle against Russia. Among others, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerow took part in the meeting.
A victory by Russian President Vladimir Putin would also have an impact on the security of the West, Austin said at the start of the meeting. “Putin will not stop after Ukraine.” But Ukraine could stop Russia militarily. Although a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine is currently stuck in the US Congress, Austin assured: “The USA will not let Ukraine fail.” Everything must be done to ensure that Putin is not successful with his “imperial plans”. . “This coalition will not let Ukraine fail, the free world will not let Ukraine fail.”
Austin announced that the Ukraine Contact Group would continue to find “creative and sustainable” ways to shore up Ukraine’s defenses. “We will move forward at full speed to give Ukraine the much-needed capabilities to build an army that can provide long-term security.”
Austin praises Czech initiative
The American Secretary of Defense praised the Czech initiative to procure urgently needed ammunition for Ukraine on the world market. The issue of ammunition is expected to be an important topic at the Ramstein conference; Ukraine is currently struggling with, among other things, an acute shortage of artillery shells. Austin also said that Germany, Denmark, Sweden and France had each recently announced “important” military packages. These are investments in the Ukrainian fight against the aggressor, but also “in our security”.
Austin emphasized the “unity” of the West, which has recently been in doubt. There were disagreements, particularly between France and Germany. French President Emmanuel Macron recently appeared open to deploying Western ground troops in the attacked country. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) rejects this and has so far also resisted handing over the powerful Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Last week, France, Germany and Poland demonstrated unity at a meeting in the format of the Weimar Triangle. They said they were serious about supporting Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz announced a new coalition for “long-range rocket artillery” to be established in Ramstein. It is not yet known what exactly is meant by this.
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