Ukraine Contact Group Presser Underway Shortly

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley are shortly due to deliver a press conference following the completion of the ninth meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group at NATO HQ in Brussels.

• Livestream: https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/#/?currentVideo=31149
• Austin said ahead of the meeting, "This Contact Group has made it clear that we will support Ukraine's fight for freedom over the long haul—and help Ukraine hold and advance during the spring counter-offensive."
• Austin: "We will again deliver the support that we have promised to Ukraine. We will put capabilities into the hands of trained Ukrainian forces so that they can be integrated together on the battlefield."
• Austin said that the group has committed to providing USD$50 billion in lethal aid to Ukraine and singled out;
• Germany, and the Netherlands for providing Patriot air-defense systems,
• France and Italy for working to provide a SAMP/T air-defense system,
• Germany, Poland, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands for providing Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine,
• The Czech Republic, and the Netherlands for jointly providing more than 90 T-72 tanks, and
• The UK for providing a company of Challenger main battle tanks.