STORY: On the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels, representatives of 50 countries met on Wednesday to discuss strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group was set up at the initiative of the United States. The background to the meeting was the heavy Russian rocket fire on several Ukrainian cities on Monday. At least 19 people were killed and large parts of the power supply were damaged. On Tuesday, Ukraine received the first of four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems from Germany, as German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht confirmed: “It is so important that Ukraine can now defend itself against these attacks with this air defense system. This is a system. And three more such air defense systems will follow next year.” The meeting in Brussels is the first major NATO meeting since Russia annexed four occupied Ukrainian regions, initiated partial mobilization and issued veiled nuclear threats – steps the Western alliance considered clear escalation of the war that began with Moscow’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.