The next Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) will take place on Feb. 12 under the chairmanship of the U.K. instead of the U.S., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on Feb. 5, citing its undisclosed sources.
Following Donald Trump's administration's takeover of the White House, the future format of Ramstein's meetings remained uncertain. Trump has also signaled his intention to break with the current U.S. strategy concerning Ukraine.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in January the next summit would be held in Brussels before the Munich Security Conference scheduled for Feb. 14-16. Pistorius did not disclose the meeting format, adding that it depended on the future U.S. administration.
Some of Ramstein's functions, with the exception of organizing the Ramstein format meetings, have already been transferred to NATO.
The NSATU (NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine) mission has been launched in Wiesbaden, Germany, to coordinate the fulfillment of the countries' pledges to supply weapons.
The UDCG consists of over 50 countries, including all 32 NATO members, that convenes at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The last Ramstein meeting on Jan. 9 was the group's 25th gathering since its establishment in April 2022.
During the last meeting in the Ramstein format, one of the major topics of discussion was the protection of Ukraine's airspace, including providing new air defense systems.
Oleg Sukhov
