On April 15, the thirty-fourth meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues in Ukraine in the Ramstein format was held in the German capital. At the meeting, the participants discussed the strengthening of military assistance, in particular, the increase in the supply of drones and long-range missiles. This is reported by Apostrophe with reference to the statements of the meeting participants, according to the PromPolitInform portal.
Results and key statements during the 34th Ramstein
In particular, German Defense Minister Pistorius, who co-chaired the 34th meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues together with his British colleague John Healy, assured of continued support for Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.
He announced the creation of a joint Ukrainian-German defense enterprise to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to carry out strategic long-range attacks. The official noted that this involves the design and production of various types of medium and long-range drones.
Germany will also allocate 300 million euros to support the purchase of Ukrainian-made long-range UAVs “Mirilo”.
The head of the British Ministry of Defense, John Healy, said that his country would provide hundreds of thousands of artillery shells and thousands of missiles for air defense. He noted that for four consecutive months the Russian army has been losing more soldiers than it can mobilize.
Britain will provide Ukraine with the largest package of drones in history. It will include long-range strike drones, reconnaissance and reconnaissance UAVs, logistics drones and naval assets. The supply of drones has already begun in April, the British Ministry of Defense noted.
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte, said that in March alone, the Russian Federation lost 35 thousand soldiers. He noted that Ukraine’s partners should invest more to reach the goal of $60 billion to support Ukraine’s security and defense this year.
He also said that NATO member states in Europe should increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. The Secretary General noted that the PURL program needs funding, as too few countries bear too large a financial burden.
The Head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, expressed gratitude to the partners for their support through the PURL program. To Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland and Romania — for Patriot missiles. The United States — for the opportunity for partners to purchase the necessary interceptors. He stated that, thanks to joint efforts with Western partners, Ukraine managed to survive last winter, as air defense was significantly strengthened. As a result, this made it possible to shoot down a much larger share of enemy air targets. The interception rate is: cruise missiles — almost 80%, drones — up to 90%.
The Minister noted that several countries have announced new contributions to the PURL scheme, under which NATO countries and other partners purchase American weapons for Ukraine. Contributions will be made by Belgium, Norway, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia.
As already mentioned, the 35th meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues of Ukraine in the “Ramstein” format will be held in June 2026. The next meeting is scheduled for early summer, as there are many tasks ahead that need to be completed.
