Pentagon Spokesman Eric Pahon provided the following readout:
Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks met with German State Secretary for the Federal Ministry of Defence Mr. Benedikt Zimmer today to reaffirm the U.S.-German bilateral relationship.
The two leaders discussed Russia’s unprovoked and pre-meditated invasion of Ukraine, with each leader complimenting the resiliency and resolve of the Ukrainian people and Ukraine Armed Forces.
Deputy Secretary Hicks thanked Secretary Zimmer for Germany’s decision to provide defensive lethal and non-lethal aid to support the Ukrainian armed forces. She also thanked Secretary Zimmer for Germany’s leadership in NATO as the framework nation for the NATO battlegroup in Lithuania and troop contributions to support the defense of NATO’s eastern flank.
Dr. Hicks also congratulated Secretary Zimmer on Germany’s decision to increase defense spending to 2 percent GDP to meet NATO obligations, while also making significant investments into improving military readiness and capabilities, to include Germany’s decision to procure 35 F-35 aircraft. She noted that Germany’s investments will be significant toward increasing capabilities within the NATO Alliance.
Finally, Mr. Zimmer and Dr. Hicks expressed their commitment to continued collaboration on a series of issues, to include NATO interoperability, procurement challenges, and shared security concerns in Europe.