During the meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine ("Ramstein-7"), the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, said that the USA and its allies will strengthen the defense of Ukraine during the winter.
This is reported by the Voice of America.
Austin noted that "Russian bombing of critical Ukrainian infrastructure only strengthens Ukraine's resolve and the Contact Group's resolve to support Ukraine."
"We see how Ukraine managed to defend itself in battle after battle - in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and now in Kherson," Austin said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Kherson was the only regional center that Russia managed to temporarily occupy.
According to Austin, "the dramatic scenes of the liberation of Kherson by Ukrainian troops inspired the international community even more. Neither direct aggression nor fictitious attempts at annexation can break the determination of the Ukrainian people to live in a free and sovereign country.
The head of the Pentagon promised his NATO colleagues and the Ukrainian military that the Contact Group will continue to actively help Ukraine strengthen its defenses and "maintain the momentum throughout the winter so that Ukraine can continue to consolidate its victories and seize the initiative on the battlefield."
