US Def Sec Austin Convenes Third Ukraine Contact Group Meeting

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will convene the third meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group at NATO Headquarters in Brussels at the top of the hour.

• At 09:00 ET 14:00 BST 15:00 CET the Secretary will open the meeting. His opening remarks can be livestreamed here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/#/?currentVideo=28963
• At 12:45 ET 17:45 BST 18:45 CET: Austin will lead a joint presser to discuss the results of the meeting. The presser will be available here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/#/?currentVideo=28965
• The Ukraine Contact Group is a collection of approximately 40 countries, who may choose to attend on a voluntary basis, designed to coordinate military aid to Ukraine.
• The meeting comes as observers report a fortification of Russian control in Eastern Ukraine and Ukraine demands more advanced military hardware to compete with Moscow's overwhelming artillery advantage.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday said the Biden administration is still committed to providing military aid to Ukraine despite reports that aid was failing to reach the frontline.
• Blinken: “We are determined that Ukraine get what it needs to deal with this aggression and ultimately to have a strong hand at any negotiating table that emerges.”