Zelenskyy and Austin discuss Ukraine’s defense needs for UAVs and air defense at Ramstein
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday, January 9, as part of a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense in the Ramstein format.
The head of state announced this in his telegram channel, Censor.NET reports.
Zelenskyy noted that the main topics of the conversation were:
- the situation on the battlefield;
- the role of drones at this stage of the war;
- Ukraine's defense needs for different types of drones.
"We also talked about strengthening Ukrainian air defense and the prospects of providing additional air defense systems, in particular in cooperation with other countries," the president added.
Zelenskyy thanked the United States, the entire American people, both parties and both chambers for their support, which "helps to preserve independence and protect people's lives in the fight against unprovoked and criminal Russian aggression."
As a reminder, on January 9, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin announced at a meeting in the Ramstein format that the United States was providing Ukraine with a $500 million military aid package.
The Ramstein coalition also pledged to provide Ukraine with more than $122 billion in military aid.
