The third meeting of the rump caucus dubbed the “Ukraine Defense Contact Group” was held in Brussels on Wednesday, under Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s direction. Austin first convened the group at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein in April, to ensure that a continuous supply of weapons was pumped into Ukraine. While most of the participants are NATO members, with other nations from around the world roped in, the group was designed to maintain the fiction that Ukraine is being armed by nations acting on their own, not NATO itself. This month included the new participants Ecuador, Georgia, and Moldova.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the President’s office in Ukraine, said on Telegram of the event: “Ramstein-3 should be a day when the desire to compromise with those who choose violence will be replaced by an understanding of the importance of strength for the sake of peace and a new world order. Heavier weapons and operational training for our military. Everything else the enemy perceives as weakness.”
It was here that Austin announced a new $1 billion of aid and weapons to Ukraine, which includes more MLRS rockets, howitzers, 155mm ammunition, and two additional Harpoon anti-ship weapons, this just from the U.S. Germany announced its own multiple launch rockets delivery, while Slovakia will send helicopters and rockets, and Canada, Poland, and the Netherlands will send more artillery. Despite admissions that Russia is slowly and steadily gaining ground, the officials bragged about how much firepower they’re pouring in, only to further prolong the war. Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “They asked for 10 battalions of artillery; 12 battalions of artillery were delivered… 97,000 anti-tank systems. That’s more anti-tank systems than tanks in the world. They asked for 200 tanks; they got 237 tanks. They asked for 100 infantry fighting vehicles; they got over 300. We’ve delivered, roughly speaking, 1,600 or so air defense systems and about 60,000 air defense rounds.”
Though it may be hoped for, it is unclear whether any of the additional aid will go toward psychiatric care for the Western “leaders.”
