US rallies global allies to help Ukraine repel
Russia
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says ‘contact group’
wants to ‘help Ukraine win today and build strength for tomorrow.’
BY DAVID M.
HERSZENHORN AND LILI BAYER
April 26,
2022 10:59 pm
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-war-russia-united-states-defense-consultative-group/
It’s not
quite the Coalition to Defeat Putin just yet — and the name is admittedly tame
if not lame: the Ukraine Defense Consultative Group.
Still, if
the U.S. ends up forming a global alliance to actively fight against Russia,
the roughly 40 countries convened by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at
Ramstein Air Force base in Germany on Tuesday are likely to form the core of
it.
The group
included dozens of defense ministers and chiefs of defense — mainly from
European countries. Austin brought them together as a way of demonstrating
visible support for Ukraine and improving the coordination of countries that
have been rushing huge quantities of military assistance, including heavy
weaponry, to help Kyiv fight back against the Russian invaders.
At a news
conference on Tuesday evening, Austin said the group would meet monthly going
forward — a sign that Ukraine’s allies were preparing for a lengthy conflict.
“We’re all
determined to help Ukraine win today and build strength for tomorrow,” he said
at a news conference following the day’s meetings.
“To ensure
that we continue to build on our progress, we’re going to extend this forum
beyond today,” he continued. “I’m proud to announce that today’s gathering will
become a monthly contact group on Ukraine’s self-defense, and the contact group
will be a vehicle for nations of goodwill to intensify our efforts, and
coordinate our assistance, and focus on winning today’s fight, and the
struggles to come.”
The setting
of the meeting — at a U.S. air base in Germany — seemed intended in part to
rebuff a narrative coming from Moscow that Russia is waging a de facto war with
NATO, which senior Russian officials claim is using Ukraine as a proxy.
“NATO, in
essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that
proxy,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with
state-controlled media Monday night. “War means war.” The comments were
striking in part because the Kremlin has refused to admit that it is waging war
in Ukraine and instead has insisted on “special military operation” as a
euphemism.
However,
the participant list in Germany, while mostly NATO countries, did stretch
further around the globe to include Australia, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, South
Korea and Tunisia. There were no countries from Central or South America.
By
contrast, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which the U.S. created in 2014,
includes 84 countries.
The EU and
NATO also participated in Tuesday’s meeting in Germany, though NATO
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was unable to attend because he had cold
symptoms.
Austin
traveled to Ramstein following a visit on Sunday to Kyiv with U.S. Secretary of
State Antony Blinken. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov also attended
Tuesday’s event.
“Ukraine
has done a magnificent job defending its sovereignty against Russia’s
unprovoked invasion,” Austin said in opening remarks. “And Ukraine’s valor and
skill will go down in military history. You know, the Battle of Iwo Jima took
36 days. The Battle of the Bulge lasted 40 days. And Ukraine has now beaten
back the Russian military for 62 days. Your resistance has brought inspiration
to the free world, even greater resolve to NATO, and glory to Ukraine.”
He added
that since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, over 30 allies and partners have
committed more than $5 billion of equipment to support Ukraine. Of that, the
U.S. has committed about $3.7 billion.
At
Tuesday’s news conference, Austin was also pressed to clarify comments he had
made in Poland on Monday saying the U.S. wanted to see Russia weakened.
The defense
secretary said the goal of the U.S. was to help make sure Russia can no longer
wage aggression against its neighbors.
“We do want
to make it harder for Russia to threaten its neighbors and leave them less able
to do that,” Austin said, before laying out the heavy losses Russia has
suffered during its invasion of Ukraine. He added: “So we would like to make
sure, again, that they don’t have the same type of capability to bully their
neighbors that we saw at the outset of this conflict.”
Austin was
also asked about worries that Russia might use a tactical nuclear weapon in
Ukraine, a fear exacerbated by casual threats being made by some Russian
politicians and television commentators.
“You heard
us say a number of times that that kind of rhetoric is very dangerous and
unhelpful,” Austin said. “Nobody wants to see a nuclear war happen. It’s a war
that, you know, all sides lose, and so, rattling of sabres, and, you know,
dangerous rhetoric is clearly unhelpful, and something that we won’t engage
in.”
The U.S.
defense chief also praised Germany, which announced in Ramstein on Tuesday that
it would send heavy weapons, including tanks, to Ukraine.
“Those
systems will provide real capability,” he said.
Hans von
der Burchard contributed to this article.
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