U.S. Department of Defense
Hello, everyone. It’s great to see everyone again. And thanks for joining us for the 22nd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Let me start by welcoming our partners from Ukraine: Minister Umerov and your teammates. We’re meeting at a moment of challenge. Putin’s invaders have launched another offensive onto sovereign Ukrainian territory. And the Kremlin’s forces will try to make further advances in the weeks ahead — and try to carve out a buffer zone along the Ukrainian border.
This is a hard and dangerous fight. But Ukraine’s defenders are showing extraordinary courage and skill. And they’re putting the capabilities that this Contact Group has provided to good use.
