WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Europe to meet with the Ukraine Defense Group, as NATO continues to urge member countries to equip Ukraine with what it needs for an extended war with Russia.
“2023 will be a difficult year and we need to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said.
Geoana says member nations need to replenish their own stockpiles for any future conflict.
“We need to ramp up our industrial capacity to manufacture weapons and ammunition,” Geoana said.
NATO allies are trying to meet the demands from Ukraine for more powerful military tools, with some countries adding tanks to the battlefield. Ukrainian troops are now in Oklahoma for training on using the patriot missile system the U.S. is sending.
“We are determined to make sure Ukraine has what it needs to succeed on the battlefield,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
So far, the U.S. has provided more than 25 billion dollars in security to Ukraine over the past year.
“We should never lose sight of the fact that the United States of America is the single largest donor of military and economic aid to support Ukraine’s self-defense of any country in the world,” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.
The new Republican-led House says it wants to support Ukraine but wants more oversight instead of sending what they call blank checks.
