Pentagon Chief to personally lead meeting of Ramstein-19 contact group
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (photo: Getty Images)
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will chair the Ramstein format contact group meeting scheduled for February 14 in Brussels, states Patrick Ryder, U.S. Department of Defence spokesman.
"Separately, Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C.Q. Brown, Jr. will travel to Brussels, Belgium next week to host an in-person meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on February 14. This will be the 19th meeting of the UDCG since Secretary Austin formed the international group in April 2022," said the Pentagon spokesman.
According to him, representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense will join defense ministers and senior officials from nearly 50 countries to discuss the war in Ukraine and the international community's support necessary to defend the country's territory.
"While in Brussels, Secretary Austin will also participate in the NATO Defense Ministerial February 15 at NATO headquarters," Ryder added.
What is known about Ramstein-19
Earlier, it became known that the defense ministers of NATO member states will meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 15, 2024. The meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
A separate meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense, organized by the U.S., will take place at NATO headquarters on February 14.
