Ukraine is to receive another 675 million dollars in military aid from the United States (U.S.) to help in its war against Russia.
The U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said this on Thursday at a U.S. base in Ramstein, Germany.
Austin had invited the members of the Ukraine Contact Group to a conference at the base, which was also attended by German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, among others.
In his opening speech, Austin repeatedly emphasised that Ukraine needed support for a “long haul’’ and that the country had a tough road ahead.
“In our discussion today, we will also discuss the next steps in establishing an international training mission for the Ukrainian armed forces,” Austin said.
He thanked Lambrecht for German pledged to strengthen Ukraine’s future air defences.
U.S. President Joe Biden at the end of August announced an aid package for Ukraine amounting to almost three billion dollars for advanced hardware, such as air defence systems and drones.
Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on Feb. 24.
In response, European countries as well as the U.S. imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow and began supplying heavy arms to Kiev.
The fighting is now concentrated in the east and south.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian army’s commander-in-chief, wrote an article published on Wednesday that he did not expect the war to end this year.
Meanwhile, Kiev reported some territorial gains in the south and in the Russian-occupied east, which has been the most contested part of the country.
