Argentina joins Ukraine Defense Contact Group

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this while opening the 23rd meeting of the UDCG in Brussels on Thursday.

"I'm pleased to welcome Argentina as a new member. Minister Petri, I'm glad to have you with us," Austin said, addressing Argentine Defense Minister Luis Petri, who was present at the meeting.

He noted that "the stakes in this war are high, and Ukraine's survival is on the line, but so is all of our security."

"None of us would want to live in a world where Putin prevails. We would all be less secure if tyrants think that they could trample borders and cow their neighbors. So we have a lot to do. But I'm confident that this the coalition will continue to rise to the challenge," he said.

Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense said that bolstering Ukraine's air defenses, including with Patriots and other systems, would be discussed at the 23rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels on Thursday.

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