Ukraine Contact Group Presser Underway Shortly

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Mark Milley are shortly due to deliver a press conference detailing decisions made at today's meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

• The presser is scheduled to begin at 10:30 ET 15:30 GMT 16:30 CET and can be followed here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/#/?currentVideo=3091
• Focus leading up to the meeting has been on whether Germany will greenlight the transfer of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
• 12 European countries operate fleets of Leopard 2 tanks and some, including Poland, have applied pressure on Germany to grant re-export licenses so the tanks can be donated to Ukraine.
• Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, often amongst the most hawkish European leaders, told reporters yesterday that Poland may act to donate the tanks unilaterally: “We will either get this agreement quickly, or we will do the right thing ourselves.”
• The transfer of main battle tanks is considered a significant escalation in offensive military aid to Ukraine and early reports from Ramstein suggest that Germany has requested more time to deliberate.