On March 19th, 2024, at the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III affirmed the unending commitment of the United States towards Ukraine, and assured that the U.S and her military would not back down on repelling the Russian invaders from the nation, effectively cementing the power of the United States and her resources behind Ukraine.
Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with representatives of more than fifty countries and organizations, all united in the goal of providing the nation of Ukraine more aid and resources to aid them in their war of resistance against the Russian Federation. In addition, these representatives also discussed expanding aid channels to Ukraine, including programs to train their soldiers.
At the very same meeting, the secretary of defense praised so-called “countries of conscience,” those being the countries working to aid Ukraine in their fight against Russia. He went on to continue the positive words of affirmation of the strength of the United States, the organizations supporting her, and her allies that continue to supply Ukraine despite the troubles associated with doing so.
To open the meeting, Austin detailed the severe losses that this war has inflicted upon the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin’s regime, highlighting the defiance and resistance the Ukrainian defenders have offered to the aggressive Russian invaders. He then claimed that at least 315,000 Russian soldiers have either been killed or wounded in the war, a figure that is in debate by many sources. He also highlighted the material cost to the Russian federation, claiming Russia has wasted $211 billion dollars in the process of fighting this war, and claiming Russia will lose trillions and their economy will collapse.
Whilst these numbers are in debate, the continued cost of the war to the Russian federation is rather apparent. Mass civil unrest and protests have rocked Russia since the beginning of the war, with the Wagner battalion’s attempted coup of the government still fresh in the mind of many, and reports of the Free Russia Legion’s actions giving rise to hope in the west that the Putin regime may be on shaky ground.
These reports come as the United States has recently announced $300 dollars more in security assistance to Ukraine, despite Republican protest. Despite said protest, Austin expressed his belief that there is a bipartisan consensus in Congress for passing a supplemental bill that will continue to fund U.S aid to Ukraine. Money continues to come in from savings in regards to military aid in other sectors of the U.S military.
New to this meeting was the first meeting of the capability coalition leadership group. That meeting discussed progress and looked to coordinate the way ahead for cross-cutting issues, the secretary said. Leading this group is: Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom. “They all stepped up to lead the capability coalitions and to commit resources and personnel to this critical task,” Austin said. “And their leadership is a testament to the unity and resolve and our insight today.”
Even as the war continues to go back and forth despite Russia’s incremental gains over the winter, the effects of the declaration of the DoD are clear. For now, the United States remains a staunch Ukrainian ally. Only time will tell whether such a reality lasts past November.
