The U.S. hosted defense talks in Germany involving more than 40 countries that sought to speed up and synchronize the delivery of arms to Ukraine.
The U.S. said that the world was galvanized against Russia’s now two-month-old invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hosted the talks in Germany at the Ramstein Air Base after a trip to Kyiv, where he pledged Ukraine additional military support.
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chief of Staff General Mark Milley said a key goal of the defense talks is to coordinate mounting security assistance to Kyiv, which will include heavy weaponry, like howitzers, armed drones, and ammunition.
Western officials have become increasingly concerned by the accelerating emphasis Moscow is putting on its nuclear arsenal, especially considering that Moscow’s conventional forces are faltering in Ukraine.
As defense ministers gathered for the talks, Russia meanwhile accused Nato of fighting a proxy war.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said to Russian state media that Nato is fighting a proxy war by supplying military aid to Ukraine. He said that Nato is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy that they are arming, and that “war means war.”
Lavrov put emphasis once again on the risks of nuclear conflict, saying that they are now “considerable.” He said that the danger of a third world war was “serious, real” and that the world “must not underestimate it.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Moscow has lost its “last hope to scare the world off supporting Ukraine.”
General Miolley said that the next few weeks would be critical in the war, and that time is not on Ukraine’s side. He said the outcome of the battle is dependent on the individuals gathered at the US defense summit.
More than 40 countries attended the meeting according to organizers, and reports say that countries included European countries, as well as Middle Eastern, and African nations. Virtually attending countries included South Korea and Japan.
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