Ramstein 5: Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting continues in Germany

Today, another meeting is taking place at the American Ramstein military air base in Germany on the issues of defense assistance of Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The meeting started at 11 a.m. Kyiv time.

Representatives of approximately 50 countries are participating in the Contact Group meeting, which is held at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

The participants include the heads of defense departments and high-ranking military personnel of countries from across the world.

The meeting participants plan to “discuss the crisis in Ukraine and various security challenges faced by US allies and partners.”

“We established this contact group because the free world seeks to meet Ukraine’s most urgent needs. But today, this contact group should agree to support the brave defenders of Ukraine for a long time,” Austin said.

Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine, reported the first good news coming from the meeting.

The details of further US assistance are also available. The new $675 million military aid package from the allies will include GMLRS munitions for HIMARS, 105mm howitzers, artillery ammunition, HARM air-to-surface anti-radiation missiles, Humvees military trucks, and armored ambulances. In addition, the new aid package will include anti-tank small arms and other equipment.

Lloyd Austin emphasized that the world now sees “obvious success of joint efforts on the battlefield” and emphasized that it is necessary to continue to oppose the “illegal, unjustified war of aggression waged by Russia.”

As previously reported, on July 20, after another meeting in the Ramstein format, the Head of the Pentagon announced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will soon have a total of 16 American М142 HIMARS MLRS.

The United States notes that the Ukrainian servicemen are effectively using the received weapons.

The first meeting was held on April 26, and representatives from more than 40 countries participated in it.