At the next Ramstein summit set to take place on June 15, Kyiv and Ukraine's allies will discuss the details of the "fighter jet coalition," in particular, the training of Ukrainian pilots and technicians to fly and maintain Western combat aircraft, said Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
Among other Ukraine's priorities to be discussed at the summit are air defense assistance, ammunition supply, and the creation of maintenance hubs for military equipment, according to Reznikov.
The 13th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein summit, will take place in Brussels, followed by the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting on June 16. Ramstein summits have been held since April 2022 to coordinate efforts to provide military aid to Ukraine.
On May 17, The U.K. and the Netherlands agreed to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets. So far, the initiative includes eight European countries and the U.S.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 6 that Ukraine would receive a "significant number" of the F-16s, long-requested by Kyiv, adding that the deal still required consent from the U.S.
Ukraine and its allies agreed to formalize the "fighter jet coalition" under the name 'Ukraine's Sky Shield' at the next Ramstein summit.
Martin Fornusek
