US defence boss Austin urges allies to 'dig deep' with arms for Ukraine

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, as a part of a NATO Defence Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on Kyiv's allies on Thursday to "dig deep" to provide more arms and ammunition to fight Russia's invasion, particularly for air defences.

Addressing a meeting of defence ministers from the U.S.-led Contact Group of some 50 countries that give military aid to Ukraine, Austin stressed Kyiv needed both short-term and long-term support as the war was a "marathon, not a sprint".