NATO Sec Gen Says Members Support Membership, But No Timeline

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has just finished speaking at Ramstein air base in Germany ahead of the meeting of the Ukraine Contact Defense Group. States that the meeting is to focus on air defence and ammunition for Ukraine. Austin: "We reject Putin's efforts to declare spheres of influence at gunpoint. [...] We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes."

• Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that, "All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a NATO member, but the main focus now is that Ukraine prevails. [...] We need a discussion about Ukraine's future security framework...We need to ensure Ukraine has the deterrence to prevent new attacks."
• There remains no timeline for Ukraine's eventual membership of NATO. The US has been seen to be hesitant to offer a staged roadmap while the outcome of the war remains in the balance. Russia hawks in CEE and Kyiv itself have been more forthright, arguing that 'accelerated accession' could tip the war in Ukraine's favour. In reality, without US signoff the prospect of a swift Ukrainian accession to the alliance is slim-to-nil.