US defense secretary states no evidence of misuse of American weapons in Ukraine

The United States of America does not have any reliable evidence of the misuse or illegal transfer to third parties of American weapons provided to Ukraine – the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated this in his introductory speech at the opening of the online meeting of the 18th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the format "Ramstein."

The Ministry of Defense reported this.

"We see that Ukraine is using the capabilities provided by us to defend against Russian aggression," Lloyd Austin emphasized.

According to him, the United States continues to work hard on monitoring and reporting on US security assistance provided to Ukraine.

He also stressed that the Allies must continue focusing on Ukraine's immediate needs on the battlefield and long-term assistance to support and modernize Ukraine's defense forces.

The US Secretary of Defense thanked the countries that have already announced new long-term support packages since the previous meeting of the Contact Group – in particular, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Great Britain.

"Supporting Ukraine in its fight against tyranny makes all our countries safer," Lloyd Austin emphasized. "Sovereign and safe Ukraine is of crucial importance for global security."

The online meeting of the 18th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact in the Ramstein format started on Tuesday. The Ukrainian delegation is headed by the Minister of Defense Rustem Umierov.

^{Photo: Ministry of Defense}

The delegation also includes:

• Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk — First Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine,
• General Valery Zaluzhnyi — Commander-in-Chief of the Ukraine's armed forces,
• Lieutenant-General Serhiy Shaptala – Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
• Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov — Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense,
• Roman Mashovets — Deputy Head of the Office of the President,
• Major General Vadym Skibitskyi is the Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense.

In his introductory speech, Rustem Umierov expressed his gratitude to all countries that support our Defense Forces, particularly in developing coalition capabilities.

According to him, increasing long-term military aid packages to Ukraine is now critically necessary.

The Ministry of Defense, for its part, is ready to co-invest in technologies and joint production, share Ukrainian combat experience, and facilitate the conclusion of long-term contracts with interested companies.

"Sufficient equipment and ammunition supplies, maintenance, and spare parts are critical to success. But breakthroughs require innovation and significant technological progress. That is why in 2024, defense technologies will have a central role in the agenda of the Ministry of Defense," added Rustem Umierov.