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Ok , we'll try it again . 

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Well , good morning , everyone . And 

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thanks for joining us for the 13th 

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meeting of the Ukraine defense contact 

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group . Before we begin , let me say a 

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few words about the Russian missile 

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attack in the city of Riri 

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on Tuesday , the Russian barrage struck 

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an apartment building and according to 

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reports killed nearly a dozen people 

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and injured . Many more recently , 

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residents of this city have been forced 

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to ration water after the destruction 

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of the dam in Kirsan last week . 

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And this is one more reminder of the 

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war's devastating consequences to 

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innocent Ukraine civilians . But the 

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people of Ukraine continue to inspire 

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us with their courage and their 

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resilience . And Ukraine continues to 

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fight to liberate its sovereign 

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territory from Russian occupation . So 

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we're meeting at a critical and 

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historic moment . President Biden has 

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said this war is about extinguishing 

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Ukraine's right to exist as a state 

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plain and simple . So this contact 

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group has come together once again to 

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stand up for the values of sovereignty 

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and freedom . I'd like to thank 

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Ukrainian Minister of Defense Alexi 

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Reznikoff for joining us again , Alexi , 

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your leadership reflects the 

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determination of the Ukrainian people 

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when Russia launched its unprovoked 

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invasion of Ukraine more than a year 

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ago , Putin thought that he could 

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easily prevail but he was wrong . 

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Ukrainians won the battle of Kiev . 

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They liberated Kharkiv and Kirsan and 

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today Ukraine stands well positioned 

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for the challenges ahead . The United 

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States is proud to stand alongside some 

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50 nations of good will to provide 

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Ukraine with the training and equipment 

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to help it succeed on the battlefield . 

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Throughout the Kremlin's vicious war of 

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choice . Ukrainian forces have shown 

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outstanding bravery and skill and 

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Ukraine's fight is a marathon and not a 

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sprint . So we will continue to provide 

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Ukraine with the urgent capabilities 

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that it needs to meet this moment as 

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well as what it needs to keep itself 

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secure for the long term from Russian 

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aggression and make no mistake . We 

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will stand with Ukraine for the long 

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haul . You can see that commitment in 

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our ongoing security assistance to 

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Ukraine . Last week , the United States 

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announced a new package of more than $2 

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billion under the Ukraine security 

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assistance initiative . This package 

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includes additional munitions for 

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patriot air defense systems , hawk air 

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defense systems and missiles , 

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additional 105 millimeters and 23 

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millimeter artillery rounds and more . 

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And on Tuesday , President Biden 

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authorized the 40 th drawdown of 

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equipment from us stocks . This 

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$325 million package includes munitions 

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for Ukraine's NASA and Mars , 

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additional Bradley fighting vehicles 

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and striker armored personnel carriers 

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and anti tank weapons and other 

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critical capabilities . 

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As I say , our commitment to Ukraine is 

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enduring and this contact group remains 

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united and determined . Our efforts are 

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grounded in a broader strategic 

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approach . We seek to ensure that 

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Ukraine has the capabilities that it 

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needs to protect its citizens and its 

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territory and to deter further 

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aggression from the Russians and 

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ultimately to prevail over Putin's 

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campaign of cruelty and conquest . And 

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our agenda today reflects those goals . 

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This contact group has been intensely 

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focused on enabling Ukraine to protect 

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its citizens and critical 

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infrastructure with air defense assets . 

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These contributions are shielding 

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Ukrainian civilians from Russia's 

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merciless missile and drone attacks . 

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This group's donation of Patriot RST 

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and NASA systems are saving Ukrainian 

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lives and I ask that the members of 

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this contact group continue to dig deep 

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to provide Ukraine with the air defense 

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assets and munitions so that it so 

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urgently needs to protect its citizens . 

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We will also continue to adapt our 

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assistance to meet the changing 

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circumstances on the ground and the 

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changing needs of Ukraine's forces . At 

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our last meeting , we announced a new 

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initiative led by the Netherlands and 

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Denmark to train Ukrainian pilots on 

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fourth generation aircraft , including 

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the F-16 . And I want to thank the 

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Netherlands and Denmark for 

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spearheading that important effort and 

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we look forward to hearing more about 

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your progress today . And later , 

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Germany and Poland will brief us on the 

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next steps in the vital task of 

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sustaining Ukraine's leopard tanks . We 

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applaud the leadership that has gone 

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into forging two coalitions , one 

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dedicated to fighter aircraft training 

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and another to provide and sustain 

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leopard tanks . And I want to commend 

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the many members of this contact group 

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who have already started to address the 

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longer term needs of Ukraine's 

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armed forces that will help ensure that 

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Ukraine's forces have the capabilities 

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that they need to defend their country 

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against Russian aggression in the 

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future . And it's become increasingly 

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clear that Ukraine needs a force that 

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is inter interoperable with our 

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militaries . So today , we'll hear from 

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the US Commander General Cali and 

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several of our colleagues on future 

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training plans in our work on in 

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theater sustainment . All these efforts 

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will help sustain Ukraine's military 

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for the current fight . Yet they will 

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also lay the foundation for Ukraine's 

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future force . Ladies and gentlemen , 

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the Kremlin's imperial ambitions have 

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inflicted unimaginable suffering on the 

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Ukrainian people . Yet the Ukrainians 

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continue to inspire us with their 

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resilience , their bravery and their 

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unwavering commitment to keep their 

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country free and secure . So together 

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we will stay united and together , we 

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will , we will rise to meet the 

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challenges of changing circumstances 

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and together we will stand by Ukraine 

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for as long as it takes . So with that , 

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I'll pause and allow our friends in the 

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media to depart