US DefSec Austin Press Conf Following UKR Contact Group Shortly

10:30 ET 15:30 BST: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley are shortly due to hold a press conference following the 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany.Livestream

• Austin said ahead the meeting: “…make no mistake: we will stand by the Ukrainian people for the long haul. Since our last meeting, the United States has committed additional security-assistance packages totaling more than $2 billion. Those packages include urgently needed air defense, ammunition, and mine-clearing equipment.”
• Austin said: “I’m also pleased to announce that the M1 Abrams tanks that the United States had previously committed to will be entering Ukraine soon.”
• The Contact Group meeting comes amid increased politically uncertaintly over the future of Ukraine aid. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in the US this week to attend the UN General Assembly and hold a White House meeting with President Biden.
• Zelenskyy will also be tasked with convincing Ukraine-sceptic US lawmakers to commit to long-term assistance and decouple aid from a internecine GOP tussle to fund the government.