Representatives of about 50 Western countries supporting Ukraine held a final meeting at a US base in Germany before US President-elect Donald Trump took office.
Yesterday afternoon (Vietnam time), representatives of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) began a meeting at the US Ramstein base in Germany, with the participation of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This is the 25th and final meeting of the UDCG, which includes 50 countries supporting Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, according to AFP.
New aid package
Speaking at the meeting, Secretary Austin stressed that Ukraine's fight against Russia's military campaign "is important to all of us." Here, Mr. Austin announced a new military aid package worth 500 million USD, including missiles to supplement Ukraine's air defense capabilities, more ammunition and other equipment to support Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, according to AFP.
Attending the meeting in Ramstein, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she hoped the US would continue to support Ukraine after President-elect Donald Trump took office, and if not, the EU was ready to lead the effort. Meanwhile, President Zelensky stressed that Ukraine's allies would have to cooperate more after Trump took office, saying that the new US administration would bring "new opportunities".
Ukrainian servicemen in Kharkiv province open fire on Russian soldiers on the front line on January 6.
Austin had previously launched a process to coordinate the delivery of fighter jets, tanks, missiles, air defense systems and weapons to Ukraine, but that process is at risk of becoming uncertain as Trump prepares to take office. The leader has raised the issue of reviewing US support for Ukraine and criticized NATO allies for spending too little on their common defense. Under outgoing President Joe Biden, the US has been the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine, with a total value of more than $65 billion since February 2022. Germany is next, with about $30 billion.
Trump's goal
Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News on January 8, Mr. Keith Kellogg, who was chosen by President-elect Trump as the special peace envoy for Ukraine, said that the leader aims to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 100 days of taking office. Mr. Keith added that his personal goal and responsibility is to help Mr. Trump broker a solution at that time.
The push for a quick end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to concerns that Kyiv will be pressured into making unfavorable concessions, including losing territory, according to The Kyiv Independent . Ukrainian President Zelensky admitted that the country's military is currently unable to use force to retake all of the territory controlled by Russia and said some areas will have to be won back through diplomatic means.
New developments in the war situation
As of yesterday, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has lasted 1,050 days and shows no signs of abating. The Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had shot down 46 of the 70 drones launched by Russia on the night of January 8 and early morning of January 9, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said yesterday that its Ka-52M combat helicopters had destroyed a Ukrainian base, along with military personnel and military equipment, in Russia's Kursk province. As of last night, there was no information about the reaction of the two sides to the above statement.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ukraine-duoc-tiep-them-suc-manh-185250109221755386.htm
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