Zelenskyy to personally attend Ramstein meeting in Germany, media say

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intends to personally request further arms supplies from Western partners during a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format, to keep fighting against Russia.

Source: European Pravda; Spiegel

Details: It is expected that next Friday, Zelenskyy will participate in the Ramstein format meeting at the American airbase of the same name in Germany. 

Berlin has stated that Zelenskyy's visit to the meeting of defence ministers from countries supporting Ukraine aims to clearly highlight the seriousness of the situation. 

Additionally, the Ukrainian president wants to request new arms supplies for his army, in particular, long-range missiles and more air defence systems.

The visit to the US Air Force base in Ramstein, where German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is also expected to appear, is unusual. Since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, ministers have regularly met in the Ramstein format, where they, along with military officials, discuss joint efforts to provide Ukraine with as much military equipment as possible. 

Until now, the atmosphere of these meetings has been rather workmanlike, but Zelenskyy's visit is likely to add a political dimension to the event.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has been meeting Kyiv's most important allies for several days. This evening, he will meet with Pistorius in Berlin, where the main issue will likely be whether Germany can provide additional arms packages in the coming months despite a tight budget situation. 

Umierov had previously travelled to Washington for negotiations.

However, the Biden administration emphasised during the visit that it wanted to insist on further expanding the country's air defence system at the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. The US and its partners will continue to provide Kyiv with critically important equipment needed to defend against Russian aggression, stated US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He condemned the recent Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

Background:

• The 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format, will take place on 6 September at the US Air Force base of the same name in Germany.
• This is the first Ramstein-format meeting since 13 June. The previous meeting focused on ways to strengthen Ukraine's air defence.
• The Ukraine Defence Contact Group brings together defence ministers and chiefs of defence from more than 50 countries who coordinate steps to provide Ukraine with the assets it needs to defend its sovereign territory.

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