US Def Sec Austin To Convene 7th  Ukraine Contact Group Meeting Next Wk

The Pentagon has confirmed that US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will convene the seventh meeting of the Ukraine Contract Group next week.

• The virtual meeting will involve defence ministers from nearly 50 countries and coordinate continued military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
• Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters yesterday: "This meeting will be hosted virtually, here at the Pentagon, and will allow for the secretary and ministers of defense from nearly 50 countries to discuss efforts to supply Ukraine with the means to defend its sovereignty from further Russian aggression."
• The meeting comes as observers assess that the US midterm election risk to Ukraine funding has receded.
• Nathalie Tocci, the director of Italy’s Institute of International Relations said that the failure of the GOP to secure control of Congress has mitigated the chance of Republicans blocking future funding packages.
• Tocci: “Regardless of the exact result, I don’t think now that there will be big changes in U.S. foreign policy, especially on Ukraine. There won’t be a strong enough core of Republicans stalling military assistance to Ukraine.”