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US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will host Ukraine-focused defence talks with allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany next week, the Pentagon said.
About 40 countries were invited to participate in the talks looking at Ukraine's long-term defence needs. So far, 20 countries have agreed to attend, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
"The RSVPs are still coming in, but I can tell you that more than 20 of the invited nations have agreed to come," Mr Kirby said.
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Pro-Russian troops, including fighters of the Chechen special forces unit, survey the destroyed administration building of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters -
A young Ukrainian refugee, one of 71 to board a flight from Moldova, sits on a suitcase after arriving in Bordeaux, France. AFP -
A member of a demining team of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine carries an unexploded projectile during mine clearing near Brovary, north-east of Kyiv. AFP -
An armoured convoy of pro-Russian troops presses on in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Reuters -
A worker cleans a statue of the founder of the Soviet Union Vladimir Lenin at Moscow Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. AFP -
Firefighters battle flames at a warehouse after a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
People walk along a street past a missile that stuck in the ground, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Rubizhne, Luhansk region, Ukraine. Reuters -
A man rides his bicycle next to a destroyed Russian tank in Chernihiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
A man walks next to a fire after a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
A Ukrainian refugee from Mariupol area, is greeted after arriving in a small convoy that crossed through a territory held by Russian forces, after the opening of a humanitarian corridor, at a registration center for internally displaced people, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier stands during the funeral of his father in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP -
Ukrainian soldiers walk on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP -
Ukrainians receive humanitarian aid organised by local volunteers in Irpin. AP -
Volodymyr Lukyanovych, 63, cuts wood to make a fire outside his house in Irpin. His home was destroyed by Russian shelling. AP -
Vova, 10, and his father, Ivan Drahun, look at the grave of his mother, Maryna, during her funeral in Bucha. AP -
Sergei, 11, waits his turn to receive donated food during an aid humanitarian distribution in Bucha. AP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Council President Charles Michel attend a news conference after their meeting in Kyiv. AP -
People pay their respects during the funeral in Kyiv for Ukrainian serviceman Volodymyr Karas, who died fighting Russian troops. AP -
Alexandra Kusminova pets her cat, named Mouse, in a restaurant in Dnipro, Ukraine, that was transformed into a shelter for those fleeing the war. AP -
A woman reads a book as she lays on a bed in the shelter. AP -
City workers repair a war-damaged road in Bucha. Getty Images -
The village council and police department buildings destroyed by Russian shelling in Lymany, just outside Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Getty Images -
Local residents receive bottled water from a truck, since there has been no running water for more than a week in Mykolaiv. Getty Images -
A destroyed car on the road between Kyiv and Chernihiv. EPA -
A man looks at a burned APC in Yahidne, Chernihiv. EPA -
A man holds part of a missile in Yahidne. EPA -
A resident clears up a house that was occupied by Russian soldiers in Yahidne. EPA -
Local youth Vladyslav, 17, inspects the basement of the school building in Yahidne. EPA -
A local resident walks on the street in Yahidne. EPA -
Local residents speak on the street next to war ruins. EPA -
A destroyed garage in Ivanivka. EPA -
A man looks at bombs that litter a field in Ivanivka. EPA -
Natalia and her daughter climb a ladder, passing over a destroyed bridge in Kyiv. EPA
Mr Kirby stressed the "Ukraine Defence Consultative Group” gathering on April 26 remains outside of Nato, with some non-Nato members invited to attend.
“Nato as an alliance is not providing security assistance to Ukraine. This is not being done under the Nato umbrella at all,” Mr Kirby said.
While some of the attendees are Nato members, they’re participating unilaterally, the Pentagon said.
Mr Kirby appeared to play down expectations of announcements about long-term assistance at the talks, saying: "We're not going into this with a pre-cooked set of endings here.”
Discussions will include the latest battlefield assessments of the renewed Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, how countries can energise the defence industrial base to continue the steady flow of weapons to Ukrainian forces and a larger view of Kyiv’s defence needs stretching beyond the current war with Russia.
The US and at least 30 other countries have helped provide Ukraine with military assistance since the Kremlin’s attack began on February 24.
Mr Kirby said on Friday the US “has helped co-ordinate and deliver more than 50 million rounds of small arms ammunition to Ukraine just since the invasion".
Reuters contributed to this report
