No announcement on the delivery of combat aircraft at Ramstein meeting in Brussels

No announcement on the delivery of combat aircraft at Ramstein meeting in Brussels
Credit: Belga

Ukraine’s allies have already provided Kyiv with equipment to equip eight combat brigades against the Russian invasion, but no decision has been made on the delivery of Western fighter jets, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday after a meeting in Brussels.

Mr. Austin cited deliveries already made or pledged by Washington, the largest contributor to the multi-billion-euro effort, including include Striker and M2 Bradley armoured vehicles and M1 Abrams tanks.

He also listed deliveries by other NATO countries, such as armoured personnel carriers of various types (Marders, M113s, CV90s…).

The US Defence Secretary was speaking at a press conference at the end of the ninth meeting since April 2022 of the Defence Contact Group for Ukraine in the so-called “Ramstein” format, which is responsible for coordinating, under US leadership, the provision of military assistance to Kyiv.

“I do not have any announcement to make on the issue of aircraft  today,” the Pentagon chief added, recalling earlier statements by US President Joe Biden, who is adamantly opposed to the delivery of F-16 fighter-bombers to Ukraine.

“We are going to continue to work with Ukraine to address Ukraine’s most pressing needs,” he added.


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