BERLIN, September 19. /TASS/. Kiev's allies are focused on Ukraine's 'long-term security,' US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a press conference following a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany.

He also pointed out that the allies seek to contain Russia.

The fifth meeting of the Contact Group, set up by Western countries to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine, is taking place on September 19 at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany. As in previous meetings, non-NATO countries have been invited to attend. The informal name of the Contact Group meetings, called the Ramstein format, refers to the location of the first meeting on military assistance to Kiev in April 2022, which took place at the aforementioned US base. The previous meeting was held on July 18 in an online format.