The United States has no credible evidence that Ukraine has illegally transferred American weapons to third parties or that it has misused them, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said at the Ramstein meeting, as quoted by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
"We see that Ukraine is using the capabilities we have provided to defend itself against Russian aggression," Lloyd Austin said. According to him, the United States continues to work hard to monitor and report on US security assistance to Ukraine.
He stressed that allies should continue to focus on Ukraine's immediate needs on the battlefield, as well as on long-term assistance to support and modernise our Defence Forces.
He thanked the countries that have already announced new long-term support packages since the previous meeting of the Contact Group - in particular Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"Supporting Ukraine in its fight against tyranny makes all our countries safer. A sovereign and secure Ukraine is crucial for global security," Lloyd Austin added.
The online session of the 18th meeting of the Contact Group on Defence of Ukraine in the Ramstein format started on Tuesday. The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.