Austin To Host Ukraine Contact Group Meeting In Brussels | Ukraine High Level Meeting | News18

Austin To Host Ukraine Contact Group Meeting In Brussels | Ukraine High Level Meeting | News18Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will preside at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels Wednesday to identify and examine the next steps needed to help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression. A senior defense official, speaking on background, expects representatives from up to 50 nations to attend the contact group meeting. “The focus is first and foremost on Ukraine’s urgent requirements to continue the battle, that it’s fighting against Russia right now,” the official said. The Ukrainians are now fighting a tough battle against Russian forces in the Donbas region. This is a change since the contact group meetings began in April when the Russians were trying to envelop the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The Ukrainians needed systems to combat tanks and armored personnel carriers to counter aviation assets. The tenacious Ukrainian defense, coupled with weapons like the Javelin anti-armor missiles and Stinger anti-air systems, helped the Ukrainians defeat the Russian attempt to take Kyiv and decapitate the government.