Ukraine's survival is in danger, US defense chief warns

US defense chief Lloyd Austin on Tuesday promised continued military support to Ukraine, and said the allies will step up the delivery of urgently needed weapons and ammunition.

“Today, Ukraine's survival is in danger. And America's security is at risk. They don't have a date to waste. And we don't have a date to waste either,” he told reporters at the end of a high-level meeting of NATO allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Around 50 defense ministers and senior officials attended the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, including new Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Austin said the US and its allies have so far raised more than $88 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, and will continue their support with urgently needed weapons and ammunition .

“Our allies and partners are here because they understand the stakes. And Ukraine's friends continue to come up with innovative solutions to make key new commitments to provide Ukraine with urgently needed capabilities, especially air defense, and armor, and artillery ammunition,” he said.

Austin thanked Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and the UK for leading the “capability coalitions,” which were formed to support the Ukrainian army with new capabilities, including advanced air defense systems, drones, armored vehicles, artillery and anti-tank capabilities.

“I leave here today fully determined to keep US security assistance and ammunition flowing. That's a matter of survival and sovereignty for Ukraine. And it's a matter of honor and security for America,” he said.

Austin also expressed hope that there would be a bipartisan consensus in Congress for passing a supplemental bill to continue support for Ukraine.

“I'm optimistic that we will see some action moving forward, but again, this is a thing that you can't absolutely predict, and we will continue to work closely with Congress, and our international partners to ensure that Ukraine receives the support it needs,” he said.

The Ramstein meeting was held at a time of increasing concern in Europe about the sustainability of US military support for Ukraine due to Republicans blocking aid during an election year, and the likelihood of a second term for former President Donald Trump.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to the Western allies for more support and warned that the Ukrainian army faces critical shortages of ammunition, especially artillery shells.