Ramstein-17 Meeting to Take Place in Mid-November, Pentagon Announces
Deputy spokesperson of the U.S. Department of Defense, Sabrina Singh, announced during a press conference on Thursday that the next meeting of the international contact group regarding the provision of military aid to Ukraine is scheduled for mid-November. The relevant announcement has been published on the Pentagon's website.
"Just last month, we had a contact group, and already in mid-November, another meeting on the topic of Ukraine's defense is planned. Our allies and partners continue to support Ukraine," stated Sabrina Singh.
She also mentioned that Washington intends to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine, although the volumes of this aid will be reduced until Congress grants approval for a full assistance package.
"So, we genuinely urge Congress to approve the additional request sent by the President so that we can continue to meet Ukraine's needs on the battlefield," she added.
The spokesperson also noted that the U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has proposed an additional aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and global humanitarian assistance, as well as the Indo-Pacific region. She emphasized that the need for this package continues to grow due to Congress's rejection of the initial request, which temporarily led the U.S. to reduce support for Ukraine.
Recall that in the third week of October, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense, Robert Storch, initiated the monitoring of aid provided to Ukraine. Storch's appointment as the head of the enhanced monitoring group for arms, equipment, and technology transferred to Ukraine by the U.S. became effective on October 18.
The primary task of the inspector is to closely cooperate with other oversight offices and partners of the Chief Inspector, such as the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to ensure comprehensive and effective oversight of the broader U.S. response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine under the Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The Operation Atlantic Resolve began in 2014 after the United States redirected its efforts towards strengthening the North Atlantic Alliance in response to Russia's armed aggression in Ukraine, including the occupation of Crimea and parts of the eastern regions of the country.