NATO defense ministers meet in Ramstein to help Ukraine. Last Minute EUROPE, Austria, France, CURRENT, Netherlands, England, Spain, Russia, Greece headlines and events

At the invitation of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, defense ministers and chiefs of staff from more than 50 countries, mostly NATO members, met today at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

It was stated that the main topic of the meeting, which is expected to last until the evening hours, will be the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, including German Leopard 2 tanks and other battle tanks.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, which also included National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via videoconference, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called on allies and said Ukraine’s fight against the war launched by Russia must be more intense. asked for support.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleisy Reznikov

“We are at a turning point in the war,” Austin said.

“The Ukrainian people are looking at us. The Kremlin is looking at us, and history is looking at us. Therefore, the Allies will continue to support Ukraine to the extent necessary for self-defense,” Austin said.

The US Secretary of Defense has not made a statement about the delivery of German Leopard tanks to Ukraine, which has been controversial for several weeks. Several NATO or EU member countries, including Poland and Finland, have offered to send Leopard tanks, which are in service with their army, to Ukraine.

Since the Leopard 2 tanks are manufactured in Germany at the Rheinmetall plant, the legal transfer of German-made weapons to third parties must be approved by the Berlin government. We are looking forward to seeing German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius make a statement on this matter at the meeting in Ramstein.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is today at a meeting in Ramstein, where the issue of military assistance to Ukraine was discussed.

It was learned that Prime Minister Olaf Scholz wanted the US to take the first step in this regard and negotiated the transfer of US Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine in exchange for permission for the Leopards. However, it was also reported that the US does not plan to buy Abrams tanks, as their engines run on a mixture of kerosene, which is difficult to obtain in Ukraine, and not on diesel fuel.

Speaking ahead of the Ramstein summit, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US administration would provide Ukraine with an additional $2.5 billion in military aid. Declaring that the United States has provided Ukraine with weapons and equipment from the arsenals of the American army for the 30th time with a new aid package, Blinken said that 59 Bradley armored fighting vehicles, 90 Stryker-type armored vehicles, Avenger air defense systems and ammunition will be provided to Ukraine.

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