26th Ramstein Meeting Begins at NATO Headquarters: For the First Time, UK Leads Ukrainian Contact Group Instead of the US
The 26th meeting of the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in the Ramstein format has started today at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. For Ukraine, this is an important step in strengthening its defence capabilities and coordinating further Allied actions. The Ramstein meeting is chaired by the United Kingdom. This is the first time that the United States will not chair a meeting of the US-led Contact Group on Ukraine's Defence.
The meeting was opened by Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
‘Today, for the first time, the meeting is chaired by my colleague and friend John Healey, Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom. The new US Secretary of Defence Pete Hagel is also taking part,’ Umerov said.
The Minister of Defence announced the agenda of the meeting. The agenda includes the stable and timely supply of military assistance in 2025, accelerating the supply of critical weapons such as air defence, aviation, ammunition, as well as investments in the defence industry in Ukraine and joint projects with European partners.
According to Umerov, not only current needs but also long-term solutions will be discussed. In particular, the expansion of defence production in Ukraine, financing of the Ukrainian defence industry and the creation of new enterprises, and increasing the volume of arms supplies through the capacities of the European defence industry.
According to Umerov, in addition to Ramstein, this week will see key events for the security of Ukraine and the world: a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of defence ministers and the Munich Security Conference.
The Ramstein Group, established by the United States in the spring of 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was designed to coordinate military assistance to Kyiv. It brought together more than 50 countries.
Earlier, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee visited Ukraine.