U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium on Thursday.
This is the group’s 23rd meeting since its formation in April, 2022.
Austin and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr. will join ministers of defense and senior military officials from nearly 50 nations to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
The meeting comes as Group of Seven, G7 leaders start their annual summit on Thursday, looking to double down on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.