Kiev was given assurances it would receive air defense systems, artillery, and warplanes at the Ramstein meeting, the Ukrainian leader says
Kiev’s Western backers have pledged to support Ukraine with $2 billion in additional military aid to help it fight Russia, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has announced following a Ramstein group meeting in Germany. His remarks come amid concerns that this could be the last summit of its kind due to the imminent return of US President-elect Donald Trump, a critic of Ukraine aid, to the White House.
Zelensky made the announcement while speaking to the We-Ukraine outlet on Thursday, praising the summit at the Ramstein Air Base, officially known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, as a success. He said the assistance would include air defense systems, warplanes, artillery, and other weaponry and support equipment.
While Zelensky would not say which countries allocated the funds, his remarks came after the US Defense Department announced additional security assistance support to Ukraine to the tune of $500 million, to address its “most urgent needs.” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also confirmed that Berlin would continue to back Kiev, announcing plans to deliver six IRIS-T air defense systems.
The meeting of the Ramstein group, which has been operational since April 2022, will be the last to take place under the administration of US President Joe Biden. Commenting on its future, the New York Times reported that “whether it continues under the incoming administration’s leadership is uncertain,” citing Trump’s skepticism about aiding Ukraine.
Unnamed Pentagon officials told the paper that should Trump “decide to leave the Ukraine Defense Contact Group… another country could take up the US leadership role.” However, Washington is the leader in terms of military assistance to Kiev, having committed almost $66 billion since the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022.
Meanwhile, members of the Ramstein group have in total committed more than $126 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Russia has repeatedly denounced Western arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they only prolong the conflict without changing the outcome. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last month that every new US package only contributes to increasing the misery of Ukrainians and the death toll.
