Iran Press/ Europe: On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbas republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US, and the UK implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
The six-month-old conflict has killed thousands and reduced Ukrainian cities to rubble. In recent weeks fears have grown over a potential disaster at Zaporizhzhia, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant.
Austin, who was speaking at the start of a meeting of dozens of defense ministers at Ramstein air base in Germany, said the gathering would discuss how countries can work together to train Ukrainian forces and improve their defenses.
"This contact group needs to position itself to sustain Ukraine's brave defenders for the long haul," Austin said, referring to the meeting. "That means a continued and determined flow of capability now."
The conflict has settled into a war of attrition fought primarily in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The latest U.S. package will include more ammunitions, humvees and anti-tank systems.
Washington has already provided more than $10 billion in military assistance to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government since Russian troops' military operation started on Feb. 24, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the campaign a "special operation" to demilitarize Ukraine.
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