Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calls for more support for Ukraine

In his first public appearance since he was secretly hospitalized last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday participated virtually in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The coalition has met every month since April 2022 and includes representatives from about 50 nations. For the first time in nearly two years, the United States did not have any new funding available for Ukraine to announce during the gathering. Congress has not approved President Joe Biden’s request for a new aid package. Austin urged the group to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems to push back against Russia’s invasion.

How are other countries supporting Ukraine? NATO on Tuesday signed a $1.2 billion contract to purchase tens of thousands of artillery rounds. The contract will help NATO members replenish their ammunition supplies and continue to provide Ukraine with military aid, said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency on Monday released a new Russian language recruitment video aimed at persuading Russian intelligence operatives to work as double agents.

Dig deeper: Read Eric Teetsel’s column in WORLD Opinions about Congress’ fight over funding for Ukraine.