As US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin noted, the US authorities believe that the AFU needs primarily artillery, ammunition, air defense and coastal defenseBERLIN, September 8.
/tass/. Western countries are setting up to provide military assistance to Kiev in the long term, as well as to search for "innovative ways" to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was stated on Thursday by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, speaking in Germany at a press conference following the results of the next meeting of the group created by Western countries to coordinate military assistance to Kiev.
"Today, special attention is paid to ensuring that this contact group supports Ukraine's self-defense in the long term. This means finding new and innovative ways to support the Armed Forces and the Ukrainian people defending their country, their lives and their freedom," the Pentagon chief said at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. He added that the contact group is committed to innovation and integration in order to "meet Ukraine's security needs in the long term."
As Austin added, the US authorities believe that the Armed Forces of Ukraine need primarily artillery, ammunition, air defense and coastal defense. "Today we had a good discussion of Ukraine's priorities in the field of self-defense. Now Ukraine urgently needs artillery systems and ammunition. It also needs [means of] air defense, coastal defense, as well as other critical capabilities," he said.
"The US has stepped up to meet these needs. I am very glad that so many of our allies and partners have done the same. In addition, our Contact Group will continue to look for new ways to support Ukraine in the future," Austin added.
Earlier on Thursday, the US authorities announced another package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 675 million.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to the request of the leaders of the republics of Donbass for help. After that, the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom, as well as a number of other states imposed sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities and intensified arms supplies to Kiev.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other Russian officials have repeatedly drawn attention to the danger of the spread of weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine in other regions. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov warned that the militarization of Ukraine by the West directly threatens European and global security.
