Austin also summed up the meeting of the leaders of the coalition of potential.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin <0>5 more in Putin's total invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced this at the 20th meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine in the Ramstein format on March 19.
According to Austin, Russia has spent up to $211 billion to equip, deploy, and support its aggression. The war will cost the Russian Federation $1.3 trillion in previously expected economic growth until 2026.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's defenders continue to weaken the Kremlin's capabilities. Yes, Ukraine sank, destroyed or damaged about 20 medium and large ships of the Russian Navy. Also, our state continues to shoot down Russian military aircraft. However, the Ukrainian army suffers from difficult conditions and fighting and needs the help of partners.
Austin said that on the morning of March 19 he convened the first meeting of the Capacity Coalition leadership group. “I am grateful to Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the UK for leading the coalitions of capabilities. We are coordinating work on cross-cutting issues such as drones, sustainment, command and control. training and revitalizing our defense industrial bases,” the Pentagon chief said.
He added that the eight coalition capabilities have made significant progress in recent weeks. “We will continue to work together with all coalitions of forces to identify gaps, address cross-cutting needs and help Ukraine create a formidable force for the future,” the US Secretary of Defense emphasized.
- The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on March 19 that Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian army has lost about 432,390 people and 13,049 armored combat vehicles.