Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder confirmed that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown are set to participate in the contact group meeting on arms supplies to Ukraine on October 11. The information comes from TASS, the Russian news agency.
Ryder added that Austin and Brown will travel from Washington to Brussels on October 10 to attend the contact group meeting in person, focusing on Ukraine’s defense needs and international support mechanisms.
He also noted that Austin is expected to participate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense ministers meeting following the Ukraine-focused engagement.
Earlier, on October 5, the European Parliament Budget and Foreign Affairs Committees voted in favor of allocating fifty billion euros to establish a fund dedicated to the restoration and modernization of Ukraine for the 2024 to 2027 period. The committees approved the measure with a substantial majority, indicating broad cross-party support in the EP for Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts.
Previously, the European Commission had proposed adding another fifty billion euros to the budget to finance Ukraine from 2024 to 2027, consisting of seventeen billion euros in grants and thirty-three billion euros in loans. However, European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis stated that aid to Kiev will not be unconditional starting in 2024; Ukraine will need to present a reconstruction plan that includes reforms and investments to access the funds.
Earlier reports noted that the Netherlands and Denmark expressed approval for supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, and the United States had signaled support for honoring similar military aid commitments. These decisions are part of a broader, coordinated effort among Western allies to strengthen Ukraine’s defensive capabilities while shaping the strategic and political landscape surrounding regional security and reconstruction priorities.
Observers stress that the evolving aid framework emphasizes a combination of immediate military assistance and long-term reconstruction planning. The aim is to ensure Ukraine can sustain its defense operations while aligning reconstruction with reforms that improve governance, economic resilience, and integration with European security architectures. The discussions also reflect ongoing assessments of risk, alliance credibility, and the challenges of financing a large-scale, multi-year rebuild that demands sustained international collaboration and transparent accountability. The positions taken by Brussels, Washington, and allied capitals signal a continued willingness to support Ukraine, conditioned by credible reform efforts and demonstrable progress on governance and investment plans.