US Defence Secretary thanks Georgia, 49 other states for Ukraine Defence Contact Group participation
Georgian Defence Minister Junsher Burchuladze attended the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting in Germany on Thursday, which was hosted by the United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. Photo: Lloyd Austin’s Twitter page
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United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Thursday thanked Georgia and 49 other states for their participation in the in-person Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, set up in April to ensure support for Ukraine in its defence from the ongoing Russian invasion.
In his comments after attending the second meeting of the group at the air base since its creation, Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze said the Ukraine Defence Contact Group would work “actively” to help Ukraine develop its defence capabilities in the face of Russian aggression.
This is what unity looks like! Nearly 50 countries joined together at @RamsteinAirBase for the fifth meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. I am extremely proud of the progress on the discussion to intensify our efforts to support Ukraine and strengthen our @NATO alliance. pic.twitter.com/Fq491i8ORH
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) September 8, 2022
At the meeting, we presented and discussed the current situation in Ukraine, the possibilities, future prospects and the ways in which NATO and its allies are able to help Ukraine. This group will actively continue to work and help Ukraine develop its capabilities”, Burchuladze said.
Chairing the event, Austin said “I am pleased to report that this Contact Group is now even more united and resolved to keep up our shared support for Ukraine’s right to defend itself”.
This Contact Group will keep coming up with new ways to support Ukraine for the road ahead. Every time that we come together to meet Ukraine’s urgent self-defense needs, it is yet another sign of the free world’s enduring support for Ukraine and its refusal to accept Russia’s imperial aggression”, the US official said.
The Defence Secretary also noted President Joe Biden had approved the latest tranche of American defence assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, valued at up to $675 million.
Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Thursday is participating in a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, discussing the situation created as a result of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the country’s needs in combating the ongoing Russian offensives, as well as the security challenges facing the United States’s allies and partners.
Georgia on Wednesday joined a joint statement of over 50 countries at the United Nations that called on Russia to immediately cease hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces and military equipment from the territory of the country.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said Russia's aggression against Georgia in 2008 and in Ukraine in 2014 and again this year were “part of one, large-scale aggression”, in comments on the 14th anniversary of 2008 conflict.
Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Wednesday participated in the meeting of Rammstein format of NATO in Brussels for the first time, discussing strategies and initiatives to assist Ukraine in combating the ongoing Russian offensives.
Georgia's territorial integrity and regional security will be the “main agenda” of meetings involving prime minister Irakli Garibashvili at the United Nations, David Bakradze, Georgia’s permanent representative to the UN, said on Monday.
Security environment in the Black Sea region, Russia's military aggression in Ukraine and challenges facing Georgia were discussed on Thursday in Brussels in a meeting between the Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze and admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of the NATO military committee.
Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Friday joined his counterparts from NATO member and partner states in a meeting of the alliance’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group for discussing strategies and initiatives to assist the country in combating the ongoing Russian offensives.
A Georgian delegation chaired by the country’s Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Tuesday joined more than 50 top military officials from NATO member and allied states in Brussels to discuss assistance to Ukraine amid its ongoing defence from the Russian invasion.
General Christopher Cavoli, the Commander of the United States European Command, hosted Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze at his residence in Brussels to discuss cooperation between the two states, the Georgian Ministry said on Thursday.