Allies at Ramstein Pledge €21 Billion in Aid to Ukraine
During a meeting in the Ramstein format, the allies promised to provide Ukraine with military aid worth more than €21 billion, British Defense Secretary John Healey said after the April 11 meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defense.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Deutsche Welle.
“Minister Pistorius (German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius) and I have jointly held today's meeting. 51 countries and partners were involved in the Contact Group, from Europe, the Indo-Pacific and South America. The new military aid commitments announced today in the framework of the Contact Group amount to more than €21 billion,” said Healy.
“I am impressed and grateful for the announcements and pledges, for the support packages from partners around the world. This will definitely have an impact on the battlefield this year,” Pistorius added.
The British and German ministers co-chaired the meeting in the Ramstein format, which this time took place at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
“Peace in Ukraine does not seem to be achievable in the near future. We will ensure that Ukraine continues to benefit from our joint military support. Russia must understand that Ukraine is capable of continuing its fight and we will support it,” the German minister said.
During the meeting, the German side unveiled long-term plans to provide Kyiv with more than 1,100 ground surveillance radars and additional IRIS-T air defense missile systems.
In addition to the long-term commitments, Berlin is going to supply Kyiv with four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems with 300 missiles, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks, 300 reconnaissance drones, ground surveillance radars, and 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition.
Healy also added that £150 million (over €170 million) will be allocated for the repair and maintenance of military equipment for Ukraine.
“This year, the UK will spend £4.5 billion on military support for Ukraine, the highest ever. Today, I am announcing £350 million (over €400 million) to ensure that this support reaches Ukrainian soldiers on the front line. This package includes radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds and thousands of new drones,” he said.
“This is part of a new effort to repair 3,000 Ukrainian vehicles that can be put back into the fight against Putin in the coming months,” the British Defense Secretary emphasized.
John Healey emphasized that 2025 is a critical year for Ukraine. “We must strengthen the deterrence of Russian aggression by continuing to strengthen Ukraine's defense,” he said.
As The Gaze reported earlier, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announces another military aid package for Ukraine, which will include four IRIS-T air defense systems and an additional 100,000 artillery rounds.