UK Defense Secretary announces milestone Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting
Photo: UK Defense Secretary John Healey (Getty Images)
UK Defense Secretary John Healey announced a new Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting and revealed its location. The milestone 30th meeting will take place in London next week, Healey made this statement during a press conference in Kyiv.
He stated that all efforts would be concentrated on providing the military assistance Ukraine needed to continue its fight, as well as on ensuring that the commitments made by NATO countries that summer to deliver $40 billion in support to aid Ukraine in its struggle against Putin would be fulfilled.
Germany’s Ministry of Defense had previously stated that the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group will take place on September 9 in London.
The last Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting was held on July 21. At that time, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukraine needed $6 billion to cover the procurement gap for this year.
What is the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting brings together over 50 countries that coordinate assistance to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.
The platform was initiated by the United States, and the first meeting took place on April 26, 2022, at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany — the format was named after this location.
Within this platform, a number of decisions were made regarding the delivery of modern Western weapons to Ukraine. Notably, thanks to decisions by the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting participants, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received HIMARS systems, Patriot air-defense systems, Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks, and other military equipment.
