Pentagon sees over 20 nations attending Ukraine talks in Germany

A man rides a bicycle near an anti-tank obstacle placed on a road in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 22, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military expects more than 20 countries to attend Ukraine-focused defense talks it will host in Germany next week that will focus in part on Kyiv's long-term defense needs, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby appeared to play down expectations of announcements about long-term assistance at the April 26 talks, saying: "We're not going into this with a pre-cooked set of endings here."