US: Pentagon announces 4th Rammstein meeting on security & protection of Ukraine

 Pentagon announced on Tuesday that fourth Rammstein format meeting on defence of Ukraine will take place in a virtual format on July 20. On July 12, US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin and his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov spoke by phone.

According to Pentagon, "Austin and Reznikov also discussed agenda of next meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), which will be held virtually on July 20, and exchanged views on future of US and allied assistance to Ukraine in UDCG format."

It is worth noting that 20 countries announced new security assistance packages for Ukraine during second Contact Group meeting in mid-May, including transfer of critical artillery equipment and ammunition. For first time, international leers met on April 26 to discuss ongoing Ukraine crisis.

third Rammstein conference on Russia-Ukraine war was held in Brussels on June 15 at invitation of United States. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin presided over Summit of Defense Chiefs from around world. At time, Russia has an vantage in weapon systems, which is me worse by a lack of ammunition on Ukrainian side. Despite some NATO nations' initial reluctance to contribute heavy artillery, alliance is now largely on board.

Western nations' Defence Ministers meet to discuss plans to supply more ammo to Ukraine

In a bid to help Ukraine fight off ongoing Russian offensive, Western-aligned countries' defence ministers will meet to develop new plans of attack and support measures. In order to improve its capabilities, Ukraine has been asking for more heavy artillery supplies. Participants in Rammstein-format Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting are anticipated to increase ir commitments to provide ditional heavy artillery weapons in order to dress this shortage.

Delivering sufficient arms to Ukraine to achieve parity with Russia will take time and be practical only in medium to long term, given number of weapons required. Ukraine's ability to combat Russian soldiers will unquestionably significantly increase if it can match Russian artillery capabilities. Russia is anticipated to intensify offensive operations in an effort to make significant gains before new weapon deliveries have a significant impact on ongoing operations, as its overall military capability vantage is expected to decline.

Image: AP