WEBVTT 00:00.569 --> 00:01.569 Yes , 00:11.119 --> 00:14.390 it's well , good morning , everyone . 00:14.399 --> 00:16.288 It's great to see you all again . 00:16.288 --> 00:18.309 Thanks for joining us for the 23rd 00:18.319 --> 00:20.486 meeting of the Ukraine defense Contact 00:20.486 --> 00:22.430 group . I'm glad that we're joined 00:22.430 --> 00:24.719 again by our partners from Ukraine . Mr 00:24.780 --> 00:26.947 Umarov and your teammates . Thanks for 00:26.947 --> 00:29.329 being here as we gather this morning , 00:29.340 --> 00:31.479 Ukraine's forces are in a tough fight 00:32.208 --> 00:34.375 in Kharkiv and elsewhere . The Kremlin 00:34.375 --> 00:37.778 continues to intensify its bombardment 00:38.069 --> 00:41.540 of Ukraine's cities and civilians and 00:41.549 --> 00:43.771 Ukraine urgently needs more air defense 00:43.771 --> 00:46.409 capabilities to defend its skies . But 00:46.419 --> 00:49.470 the Ukrainian people remain resilient 00:49.479 --> 00:52.330 and unbowed and Ukraine's forces 00:52.340 --> 00:54.290 continue to impress the world with 00:54.299 --> 00:58.119 their skill and their grip . Ukrainian 00:58.130 --> 01:00.130 forces are fending off Russia's new 01:00.130 --> 01:02.630 offensive in the Kharkiv region and 01:02.639 --> 01:05.940 holding strong on the front lines in 01:05.949 --> 01:09.819 Ukraine's East and South . It has 01:09.830 --> 01:13.290 been 840 days since Putin launched his 01:13.300 --> 01:16.339 full scale invasion of Ukraine and 01:16.349 --> 01:18.293 Ukraine's defenders have inflicted 01:18.293 --> 01:20.650 staggering losses on the Russian 01:20.660 --> 01:24.120 invader on the Russian invaders since 01:24.129 --> 01:26.790 Putin's full-scale invasion in February 01:26.800 --> 01:29.290 2022 at least 01:29.300 --> 01:32.980 350,000 Russian troops have been killed 01:32.989 --> 01:36.830 or wounded . Ukrainian forces have sunk , 01:37.000 --> 01:40.620 destroyed or damaged 24 Russian 01:40.629 --> 01:44.410 vessels in the Black Sea since 01:44.419 --> 01:47.430 September of last year , just before 01:47.440 --> 01:49.773 the Kremlin began its renewed offensive . 01:50.500 --> 01:54.239 Russia has lost more than 2600 01:54.250 --> 01:56.839 combat vehicles across the front lines 01:56.849 --> 02:00.440 in Ukraine as Russian 02:00.449 --> 02:02.930 invaders move forward west of Avdiivka , 02:04.019 --> 02:06.870 they lost more than 160 combat vehicles 02:06.879 --> 02:10.309 there in May alone . So that's just 02:10.320 --> 02:12.264 another reminder of the price that 02:12.264 --> 02:15.619 Russia has paid for Putin's imperial 02:15.630 --> 02:18.850 ambitions . And it's another reminder 02:18.860 --> 02:22.759 of Ukraine's determination and make no 02:22.770 --> 02:25.389 mistake . Ukraine's partners around the 02:25.399 --> 02:28.880 world have its back . Now . 02:29.270 --> 02:31.159 It's been nearly two months since 02:31.159 --> 02:33.159 President Biden signed the national 02:33.159 --> 02:35.399 security supplemental . The United 02:35.410 --> 02:37.188 States is continuing to deliver 02:37.188 --> 02:39.188 urgently needed security assistance 02:39.188 --> 02:41.132 through more presidential drawdown 02:41.132 --> 02:43.320 packages . Since the supplemental 02:43.330 --> 02:45.580 became law , the United States has 02:45.589 --> 02:48.440 already achieved already delivered tens 02:48.449 --> 02:50.419 of thousands of artillery rounds , 02:50.919 --> 02:54.000 thousands of anti tank mines , hundreds 02:54.009 --> 02:57.449 of Gimler and anti tank weapons and 02:57.460 --> 02:59.571 more air defense capabilities to help 02:59.571 --> 03:01.800 Ukraine repel Russian forces near 03:01.809 --> 03:05.139 Kharkiv . President Biden also 03:05.149 --> 03:07.205 announced a new package of draw down 03:07.205 --> 03:09.260 assistance that will provide Ukraine 03:09.260 --> 03:11.316 with more air defense interceptors , 03:11.316 --> 03:13.371 armored vehicles , anti tank weapons 03:13.371 --> 03:16.660 and artillery systems and munitions . I 03:16.669 --> 03:18.725 am proud that this contact group has 03:18.725 --> 03:20.850 committed more than $98 billion in 03:20.860 --> 03:22.916 security assistance to Ukraine since 03:22.916 --> 03:25.839 February 2022 . And this coalition 03:25.850 --> 03:28.220 continues to find innovative and 03:28.229 --> 03:31.750 sustainable ways to rush in critical 03:31.759 --> 03:33.759 capabilities to meet Ukraine's most 03:33.759 --> 03:36.440 pressing needs . Let me highlight just 03:36.449 --> 03:39.190 a few of them . I'm grateful to Sweden 03:39.199 --> 03:41.199 for announcing its largest military 03:41.199 --> 03:42.810 assistance package yet worth 03:42.810 --> 03:46.179 approximately $1.23 billion . 03:47.479 --> 03:49.201 And that includes two airborne 03:49.201 --> 03:51.423 surveillance and control aircraft which 03:51.423 --> 03:53.146 will be critical for Ukraine's 03:53.146 --> 03:56.440 long-range air surveillance . I'm also 03:56.449 --> 03:58.839 grateful to our host in Belgium . We 03:58.850 --> 04:01.600 have committed to deliver 30 F-16 04:01.610 --> 04:04.839 fighters to Ukraine by 2028 as well as 04:04.850 --> 04:06.960 an additional $1 billion in military 04:06.970 --> 04:10.339 aid this year . And I'd like to thank 04:10.350 --> 04:12.610 Spain for its recent pledge of more air 04:12.619 --> 04:15.830 defense missiles . And so countries are 04:15.839 --> 04:18.329 moving at flank speed to get Ukraine 04:18.339 --> 04:20.395 the capabilities that it so urgently 04:20.395 --> 04:23.609 needs and we must keep doing so . We 04:23.619 --> 04:25.690 must keep finding new solutions , 04:26.010 --> 04:28.089 especially for Ukraine's air defense 04:28.100 --> 04:30.329 challenges and we will continue to 04:30.339 --> 04:32.690 support Ukraine's long term security . 04:33.470 --> 04:35.581 And you can see that in Ukraine's new 04:35.581 --> 04:37.526 bilateral security agreements with 04:37.526 --> 04:40.609 Belgium , Iceland , Norway , Portugal , 04:40.619 --> 04:44.010 Spain and Sweden . This contact group 04:44.019 --> 04:46.075 is also supporting Ukraine's work to 04:46.075 --> 04:48.297 strengthen and modernize its forces for 04:48.297 --> 04:51.079 the long haul . The eight capability 04:51.089 --> 04:53.920 coalitions provide a practical nimble 04:53.929 --> 04:56.269 mechanism for allies and partners to do 04:56.279 --> 04:58.910 just that . I'm grateful for the 04:58.920 --> 05:01.290 coalition leadership group's work to 05:01.299 --> 05:03.890 drive progress across each capability 05:03.899 --> 05:06.209 coalition . And just yesterday , the 05:06.220 --> 05:08.649 coalition leadership group met to 05:08.660 --> 05:10.660 discuss the next steps to meet both 05:10.670 --> 05:13.279 Ukraine's short term needs and its long 05:13.290 --> 05:15.730 term requirements . And I look forward 05:15.739 --> 05:18.230 to hearing updates today from the drone 05:18.239 --> 05:21.350 coalition . The drone coalition is 05:21.359 --> 05:23.192 working to help Ukraine fend off 05:23.192 --> 05:25.380 Russian aggression today and deter 05:25.390 --> 05:27.980 Russian aggression tomorrow for its 05:27.989 --> 05:30.399 long term security . Ukraine needs a 05:30.410 --> 05:32.820 robust , effective and self reliant 05:32.829 --> 05:35.540 defense industry . So the United States 05:35.549 --> 05:37.605 is working closely with this contact 05:37.605 --> 05:39.716 group to strengthen Ukraine's defense 05:39.720 --> 05:43.279 industry and to foster joint projects . 05:44.109 --> 05:47.500 Now , we got a lot of work ahead for 05:47.760 --> 05:50.220 support for Ukraine is growing and not 05:50.230 --> 05:52.779 waning . In fact , I'm pleased to 05:52.790 --> 05:55.980 welcome Argentina as a new member , 05:57.079 --> 05:59.750 Minister , Petri is glad , I'm glad to 05:59.760 --> 06:01.649 have you with us . And ladies and 06:01.649 --> 06:03.899 gentlemen , this is a critical moment . 06:04.359 --> 06:06.579 The stakes of this war are high and 06:06.589 --> 06:08.811 Ukraine's survival is on the line , but 06:08.829 --> 06:12.320 so is all of our security . None of us 06:12.329 --> 06:14.329 would want to live in a world where 06:14.329 --> 06:17.570 Putin prevails . We would all be less 06:17.579 --> 06:20.350 secure if tyrants think that they can 06:20.359 --> 06:23.480 trample borders and cow their neighbors . 06:24.410 --> 06:26.890 So we have a lot to do , but I am 06:26.899 --> 06:28.843 confident that this coalition will 06:28.843 --> 06:31.177 continue to rise to the challenge again . 06:31.177 --> 06:33.410 Thanks for being here today and with 06:33.420 --> 06:35.531 that , we'll pause for a moment while 06:35.531 --> 06:37.753 our friends in the media depart . Thank 06:37.753 --> 06:39.940 you . Go to , I know .