U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will chair a meeting of the contact group on the defense of Ukraine in Brussels, which will be attended by representatives of up to 50 countries on Wednesday, the press service of the U.S. Department of Defense reports.

"Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will preside at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels tomorrow to identify and examine the next steps needed to help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression," a message published on Wednesday night reads.

Austin noted that "the focus is first and foremost on Ukraine's urgent requirements to continue the battle, that it's fighting against Russia right now."

In addition, it is noted that the Russian occupiers, after the failure to capture Kyiv, shifted their main efforts to the East of Ukraine.

"The battles in Donbas region are brutal artillery slugfests. Ukrainian officials said they are losing between 150 and 200 soldiers a day in the fighting," the U.S. Department of Defense said.

Austin "coordinates with the contact group to get the correct capabilities into Ukraine when needed. For example, one nation may have an artillery piece, another may have the ammunition, while a third may have spare parts the system needs."

"For example, one nation may have an artillery piece, another may have the ammunition, while a third may have spare parts the system needs. The contact group is a way to coordinate the three nations to get the various parts of the system to the front lines of the fight," the message says.