Berlin:

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated US support for Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia and warned that if Vladimir Putin succeeds here, he will not stop there.

The U.S. Department of Defense stated in a statement that Austin said during the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that Ukraine will not retreat in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and neither will the United States.

The meeting, held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, praised the “conscientious countries” that have worked together to assist Ukraine in fighting the epidemic.

Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with representatives from more than 50 countries and organizations to provide assistance, training and capabilities to Ukraine.

“For more than two years, Ukrainian forces have resisted Putin’s aggression with defiance and skill,” the Defense Department quoted Austin as saying.

“Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin’s imperial dream. At least 315,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured,” he said at the event.

The US Defense Secretary said that Russia has wasted US$211 billion and that this war will cost Moscow US$1.3 trillion.

“Since the invasion, Russia has wasted a whopping $211 billion to equip, deploy, maintain and sustain unnecessary wars against its neighbors,” Austin said. “Putin’s choice of wars would put Russia at risk by 2026, which was previously expected to be $1.3 trillion in lost economic growth.”

He further emphasized that Ukraine has been fighting heroically against the “Kremlin aggressors” and that the Ukrainian people “will not let Putin succeed.”

“If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Austin said. “Our allies and partners are here because they understand the stakes.”

“Ukraine’s friends continue to come up with innovative solutions and make critical new commitments to provide Ukraine with much-needed capabilities, particularly air defense, armor and artillery munitions.”

The United States recently announced an increase of $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine. The funding comes as a result of savings made to replace U.S. military capabilities in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Austin said he believed there was bipartisan consensus in Congress to pass a supplemental bill that would continue to fund U.S. aid to Ukraine, a Defense Department statement said.

This contact group meeting is the first meeting of the Ability Alliance Leadership Group. The Secretary of State said the meeting discussed progress and sought to coordinate future directions on cross-cutting issues.

Leading the group are: Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom.

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