U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has lauded Ukraine for its battlefield successes over Russian forces in the past month and reiterated the support of NATO and its allies for Kyiv.
Speaking in Brussels at an October 12 meeting of defense ministers from the alliance, Austin issued a scathing assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort, saying the “malice and cruelty” of his invasion of Ukraine had unified the international community.
In addition to the NATO meeting, a U.S.-led group of nearly 50 countries was also holding talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The talks focused on air defenses after Russia unleashed a blitz across Ukraine following an explosion at a bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula that Moscow says Kyiv played a part in executing.
"These victories belong to Ukraine's brave soldiers. But the Contact Group's security assistance, training, and sustainment efforts have been vital," Austin said at the start of the meeting.
