KYIV, Feb 14 – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Ukraine has urgent needs for additional military assistance and assured that NATO allies are ready to support Ukraine in the long term.

“I am proud to be here with representatives from across the world. We are here to reaffirm our support for a free and sovereign Ukraine. Nearly one year ago, Putin began his unprovoked and indefensible Invasion of Ukraine. Putin thought that in the mere of days his forces would seize Kyiv and overthrow Ukraine's democratically elected government. He thought that the international community would just leave it,” Austin said at the opening of the meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine in Brussels.