Secretary of Defense Vows to Move ‘Heaven and Earth’ to Keep Arming Ukraine

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday vowed that the US will keep moving “heaven and earth” to send weapons into Ukraine as Washington and its allies are pledging to intensify military aid for Kyiv. The Pentagon chief made the comments at a conference at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany that was attended by military leaders from about 40 nations.

“I would like this whole group today to leave with a common and transparent understanding of Ukraine’s near-term security requirements because we are going to keep moving heaven and earth so that we can meet them,” Austin said in his opening remarks at the conference.

Austin, a former Raytheon board member, announced that a similar meeting on arming Ukraine will be held each month in a forum he dubbed the Ukraine Contact Group. “We’re going to extend this forum beyond today,” he said. “The group will be a vehicle for nations of good will to intensify our efforts, coordinate our assistance, and focus on winning today’s fight and the struggles to come.”