US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that allies' military backing for Ukraine is paying off on battlefield.

Austin said this in his opening statements at a meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The Defence Secretary emphasised that now the war was at a key moment once more.

"Russian forces continue to cruelly bombard Ukrainian cities and civilians with missiles and artillery fire. But Ukrainian forces have begun their counteroffensive in the south of their country. And they are integrating the capabilities that we all have provided to help them fight and reclaim their sovereign territory…

Now, we're seeing the demonstrable success of our common efforts on the battlefield. And every day, we see the resolve of the allies and partners worldwide who are helping Ukraine resist Russia's illegal, imperial, and indefensible war of conquest. And we must evolve as the fight evolves."

He emphasised that "the face of the war is changing. And so is the mission of this Contact Group."

"We'll work together to train Ukraine's forces for the long haul. We'll work together to help integrate Ukraine's capabilities and bolster its joint operations for the long haul. We'll work together to upgrade our defence industrial bases to meet Ukraine's requirements for the long haul. And we'll work together for production and innovation to meet Ukraine's self-defence needs for the long haul," the US Secretary of Defence noted.

Austin also announced that the United States pledged another $675 million worth of military support for Ukraine.

According to the media, the Pentagon is developing a plan to support the Ukrainian army in the medium and long term, including after the end of the war with Russia.