Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Friday with top United States military leaders and more than 50 partner nations in Germany to press for more weapons support as Washington announced it would provide another $250 million in security assistance to Kyiv.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the meeting of the leaders was taking place during a dynamic moment in Ukraine's fight against Russia , as it conducts its first offensive operations of the war while facing a significant threat from Russian forces near a key hub in the Donbas.
So far the surprise assault inside Russia's Kursk territory has not drawn away President Vladimir Putin's focus from taking the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk , which provides critical rail and supply links for the Ukrainian army. Losing Pokrovsk could put additional Ukrainian cities at risk.
While Kursk has put Russia on the defensive, "we know Putin's malice runs deep," Austin cautioned in prepared remarks to the media before the Ukraine Defense Contact Group met. Moscow is pressing on, especially around Pokrovsk, Austin said.
Recent deadly airstrikes by Russia have renewed Zelenskyy's calls for the U.S. to further loosen restrictions and obtain even greater Western capabilities to strike deeper inside Russia. However, the meeting Friday was expected to focus on resourcing more air defense and artillery supplies and shoring up gains on expanding Ukraine's own defense industrial base, to put it on more solid footing as the final days of Joe Biden's U.S. presidency wind down.
