Opening Remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at the 24th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (As Delivered)

View Online Secretary of Defense Speech Opening Remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at the 24th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (As Delivered) Sept. 6, 2024 Well, good morning, everyone. And thanks for joining the 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. It's great to be back at Ramstein, and it's great to see all of you again. Let me thank Minister Pistorius for welcoming us again in Germany.    I'd also like to welcome Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard. He's just taken over as the Commander of Security Assistance Group-Ukraine. Curtis, we know that you'll do an outstanding job. It's also great to see Minister Umerov and the rest of the Ukrainian delegation. As many of you know, we have a special guest here with us today: President Zelenskyy. Mister President, your forces and your people have inspired the world. And you have seen firsthand how this Contact Group has moved heaven and earth to get Ukraine what it needs. We are absolutely honored to have you here in person at Ramstein for the first time. And Mister President, the floor is yours. Well, thank you, Mister President, on behalf of everyone here. We hear your urgency. And we share it. Mister President, this coalition of some 50 nations of goodwill stands united and firm. And today, we'll push even harder to step up our support for Ukraine. We're meeting at a dynamic moment. Ukraine continues to seize the initiative on the battlefield. And Ukraine's troops are now conducting an operation in Russia's Kursk region. The Kremlin's army of aggression is now on the defensive on its own turf. But we know that Putin's malice runs deep. Moscow continues its offensive in the east of Ukraine, especially around Pokrovsk. Putin is repositioning his troops in Kursk. And the Kremlin continues to bombard Ukraine's cities and to target Ukraine's civilians. That's an outrage. But Ukraine refuses to bend. And Russia has paid a massive cost for Putin's imperial fantasies. More than 350,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since Putin launched his all-out invasion. And since February 2022, Ukrainian forces have sunk, destroyed, or damaged 32 Russian Navy vessels. Ukraine has driven all of Russia's major naval vessels out of Crimea and pushed Russia's Black Sea Fleet further east. Last month, Ukraine sank one of three Russian ferries in the Kerch Strait in Russian-occupied Crimea. And that seriously reduced Russia's capacity to move equipment and troops into Ukraine. A second ferry has been out of action since Ukraine's attack earlier this summer. Additionally, Ukraine has destroyed 97 Russian combat aircraft since the start of Putin's full-scale invasion. So over and over, Ukraine has stood up to Putin's aggression and atrocities. And this coalition has Ukraine's back. And let me highlight just some major recent steps forward. In July, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and the United States announced that we would provide more Patriot air-defense batteries and components. And Italy said it would deliver another SAMP-T system. And Germany recently delivered another IRIS-T air-defense system and more 155-millimeter ammunition. Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark have all provided more Leopard battle tanks. And meanwhile, the European Union is using frozen Russian assets to fund arms purchases for Ukraine, including more ammunition from the Czech Initiative to rush more shells to Ukraine. And since our meeting in June, the United States has committed more than $4 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine. We are laser-focused on Ukraine's priority needs, including air defense, fires, and armor. This Contact Group's innovative and nimble Capability Coalitions continue to help Ukraine fend off Russian aggression today — and deter Russian aggression tomorrow. And thanks to the work of the Air Force Coalition, Ukraine has received its first tranche of F-16 fighters. And together with our National Armaments Directors, we are posturing our industrial bases to meet Ukraine's needs — and sustain them long into the future. But for its long-term security, Ukraine must continue to boost its own defense production. And many Contact Group members are already supporting that effort. Just weeks ago, Denmark committed some of its latest $115 million security-assistance package to buying arms from Ukraine's defense industry. Meanwhile, with help from several European companies, the United States is working with Ukraine to design and build a substitute for the S-300 surface-to-air missile system and the R-27 air-to-air missile. The United States has also allocated more than $200 million to purchase critical components to let Ukraine produce the UAVs and electronic-warfare systems that it has deployed so effectively.  Our National Armaments Directors are working in lockstep with the Capability Coalitions to meet these needs and speed up deliveries. So I look forward to discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine's defense industrial base as well as all of our own. Friends, this is a critical moment. Time is of the essence, especially with winter on its way. And we must all step up our support — and quickly. So I'm pleased to say that President Biden will announce today an additional $250 million security-assistance package for Ukraine. It will surge in more capabilities to meet Ukraine's evolving requirements. And we'll deliver them at the speed of war. Ladies and gentlemen, when this Contact Group met in April, President Zelenskyy reminded us all that aggression spreads when it isn't stopped. And he's right. If tyrants think that they can invade their peaceful neighbors, we will all be less secure. If autocrats conclude that nations of goodwill will lose our nerve and abandon our principles, our world will become far more dangerous. So make no mistake. If Ukraine is not free, the world is not safe. But this Contact Group gives us the structure to keep Ukraine sovereign and secure. The coalition is built to succeed. And it's built to last. As President Biden has said, "Russia will not prevail in this conflict. The independent people of Ukraine will prevail — and the United States, our allies, and our partners will continue to stand with them every step of the way." So thanks for being here. And with that, we'll pause while our friends in the media depart.

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