Over 20 countries have given nod to join meet for Ukraine to be held in Germany: Pentagon

As the Russia-Ukraine war escalates and Russian forces continue to push aggressively into the eastern regions, Ukraine has been demonstrating commendable tenacity against the Russian occupiers.

Press Secretary of the Pentagon John Kirby on Saturday announced that United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will convene a meeting next week in Germany of defence officials and military leaders from more than 20 countries to discuss the situation in Ukraine and its long-term defence needs.

Over 20 nations confirm participation in meeting on support for Ukraine: Pentagon

On April 22, Kirby said that nearly 40 nations, including North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries, have been invited to be a part of this meeting and that responses are still arriving for the session to be held on Tuesday at Ramstein airbase. However, Kirby did not mention the names of the nations that have agreed to attend the meeting, but stated that more details would be provided soon.

Notably, this meeting comes at a time when Russia is making aggressive advancements toward eastern Ukraine. The agenda of the meeting will be dominated by an updated assessment of the situation in Ukraine and discussions on how to continue a steady flow of weapons and other military aid will also take place, said Kirby. The meeting will be held for consultations on Ukraine's post-war defence needs, and there will be no change in the US military posture in Europe, he said.

UN Chief to meet Putin on April 26

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to travel to Moscow on April 26 to meet with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The UN Chief will press Putin to stop the ongoing war against Ukraine, said the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Eri Kaneko. "He wants to discuss with the leadership steps that can be taken right now in order to silence the guns, in order to help the people, and in order to allow the people who need to get out to do so safely," she said. The meeting was confirmed by Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

UN Chief to meet Zelenskyy on April 28

Following his two-day visit to Moscow, the UN Chief will also meet the embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a statement, Kaneko informed that “The Secretary-General will visit Ukraine next week. He will have a working meeting with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and will be received by President Zelenskyy on April 28. He will also meet with staff of UN agencies to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine."

(With Agency inputs)

Image: AP