The United States will gather allies in Germany next week for a new round of talks on supporting Ukraine’s military, the US air base in Ramstein said Tuesday.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host a private meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group meeting in Ramstein on January 20, the base said in a statement.
Austin “has once again invited Defense Ministers and senior military officials from around the world to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the various security issues facing US allies and partners,” he said.
The Ukrainian Defense Contact Group includes about 50 countries that support Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that Western Kyiv backers will meet next week with the Ukrainian defense minister “to discuss exactly what type of weapons are needed and how the allies can provide those weapons”.
He spoke as the US-led alliance and the European Union pledged to step up support for Ukraine and increase cooperation.
The Ramstein meeting, the third group, follows the announcement by the United States, Germany and France that they will now also supply Ukraine with armored fighting vehicles – but Kyiv has requested that modern heavy tanks be delivered as well.
Ukraine has long pushed for heavier weapons, including tanks, that would allow such attacks.
Western countries have been reluctant, fearing that they will be drawn into war or provoke Russia.
But the Ukrainians have been building momentum and Western countries have expanded the range of weapons they provide.