Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker hosted German State Secretary, Ministry of Defense Benedikt Zimmer at the Pentagon, reaffirming the strong U.S.-Germany transatlantic alliance, March 14.
Following Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's call with German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius on March 4, Ms. Baker and Mr. Zimmer reaffirmed that ensuring Ukraine has what it needs to defend against Russia's brutal, unprovoked invasion, remains a top priority for the United States and Germany.
Ms. Baker and Mr. Zimmer also discussed the upcoming Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which will convene March 19 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. This will be the 20th meeting of the UDCG since Secretary Austin formed the international coalition in April 2022.
The two leaders also discussed the upcoming NATO 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC in July. Ms. Baker congratulated Mr. Zimmer on Germany's recent achievement in reaching 2% GDP spending on defense.
