Media have learned about the possible breakup of the contact group on Ukraine

The Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense may disband after US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin resigns. This was reported by Politico on January 8.

It noted that Austin is in Germany to meet with NATO allies on the issue of assistance to Ukraine.

"The next time the group meets, things will look very different, if they meet at all," Politico wrote.

It is specified that when the U.S. Secretary of Defense leaves his post, the contact group will lose its main "cheerleader and founder." Meanwhile, the publication, citing NATO officials, claims that the group may continue its work without Austin, but in a slightly different format.

"The dissolution of the group could be a blow to Ukraine, which is losing ground to Russia," Politico emphasized.

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The day before, a US Defense Department spokesman said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to give up in the Ukrainian conflict. He also noted that in this regard, Washington is focused on allocating Ukraine the necessary funds for combat operations.

Earlier, on January 8, a senior Pentagon official said that the team of incumbent US leader Joe Biden would not have time to transfer military aid worth more than $2bn to Ukraine before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. It was also reported at the time that Washington planned to allocate $500m to Kiev as part of a new aid package.

Duma deputy Alexander Tolmachev in a conversation with Izvestia on December 26, 2024 drew attention to the fact that US citizens are tired of financing the Kiev regime. The politician admitted that with Biden's departure from the White House, this assistance from Washington to Kiev may stop. Trump, in turn, said that after the change of the American administration and his coming to the presidency, the United States may reduce the volume of military aid to Ukraine.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of the Russian Federation's special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.