This Sunday, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur covers the trending news of the week from developments on the front lines to the Ramstein meeting with top officials. And what happened with the new brigade trained in France?
The defense minister met with his Norwegian counterpart on the sidelines of the Ramstein summit on Jan. 9. According to Umerov, the 2025 assistance to Ukraine will mark the largest military aid package in Norway's history.
The announcement includes $138 million (CAD $200 million) allocated to Czechia’s initiative for procuring and delivering large-calibre ammunition to Ukraine.
Key developments on Jan. 9: * Ukraine's 47th Brigade releases video of 'massive' Russian attack repelled in Kursk Oblast * 4,000 North Korean troops killed or wounded fighting against Ukraine, Zelensky claims * 'It would be crazy to drop the ball now' — Zelensky urges continued unity, support for Ukraine at Ramstein * Kyiv,
Zelensky emphasized involving NATO members in purchasing Ukrainian weapons under a model pioneered by Denmark. The Danish government became the first country to offer to donate arms to Ukraine via direct purchases from the Ukrainian defense industry, as Kyiv's defense budget does not match the capacities of domestic weapons production.
The package is expected to be the final U.S. defense tranche provided by the Biden administration before Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings during the summit, which could be the group's last meeting in the current format.
The Jan. 9 meeting will focus on strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities through 2027, including air force, armor, artillery, drone, de-mining, missile defense, and maritime security needs, according to a Pentagon statement on Jan. 7.
The Jan. 9 Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) will focus primarily on supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities in establishing a "credible deterrent force" through 2027, the Pentagon said on Jan. 7.
The meeting will be the first since October 2024, when a leader-level summit in Germany was postponed after U.S. President Joe Biden canceled his foreign trips to handle Hurricane Milton.
Russia is increasingly deploying unidentified gas in its latest chemical warfare tactic against Ukrainian troops, who are losing ground across the hotspots of the eastern front line. Ukraine is currently unable to identify the majority of the gas used on the battlefield, compared to previous months when it could diagnose
Prior to Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement, the White House said on Oct. 17 that the next meeting in the Ramstein format would take place in November virtually.
A short trip to Germany instead of the planned state visit. A four-way meeting in the Chancellery instead of the conference in Ramstein to coordinate future aid for Ukraine with some 50 participating states, including numerous heads of state and government. With Hurricane Milton in Florida preventing U.S. President
The White House has rescheduled a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group for November in a virtual setting after U.S. President Joe Biden cancelled his foreign trips earlier this month to handle the consequences of repeated hurricanes at home.
Russia’s invading army is racing against the weather clock, trying to seize yet more towns in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region before the ground gets muddy this autumn and temperatures later plunge. The coal mining town of Toretsk is on the verge of falling to Moscow’s forces, an
Key developments on Oct. 9: * Russian weapons depot storing North Korean shells, missiles set ablaze after drone attack, Ukraine's military reports * Ramstein-format meeting postponed after Biden cancels foreign visits * Battlefield situation calls for decisive action to end war in 2025, Zelensky says * Two more IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems arrive in Ukraine
"Announcements about future Ukraine Defense Contact Group meetings will be forthcoming," the Ramstein Air Base said in a statement.
Biden was supposed to convene a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany on Oct. 12, where President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to present his victory plan.
Key developments on Oct. 6: * Ukraine braces for Russian push near Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in coming days * Kyiv shows destruction of Russian Osa anti-aircraft system with FPV drone * NATO considering 'concrete steps' on Ukraine's accession at Ramstein summit, WP reports * Lithuania confiscates military goods from Kaliningrad-Moscow trains, gives them
Ukraine may be offered "more concrete steps" regarding its NATO membership during the upcoming Ramstein summit, the Washington Post (WP) reported on Oct. 6, citing an undisclosed diplomat.
On Oct. 2, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. had reviewed Ukraine's victory plan and identified "a number of productive steps."
U.S. President Joe Biden will convene a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany in October "to coordinate the efforts of the more than 50 countries supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression," he announced on Sept. 26. The announcement comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky
On the sidelines of the meeting, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Berlon would deliver an additional 12 self-propelled Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers altogether worth 150 million euros ($165 million) to Kyiv.
The next Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) will be held on Sept. 6, according to U.S. Air Force in Europe, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Aug. 20.
Romania's Mihai Kogalniceanu (MK) airbase, named after a nearby village honoring a 19th-century liberal politician, is set to become NATO's largest base in Europe, surpassing Ramstein in Germany.
Canada will soon send the first tranche of 2,300 decommissioned CRV7 rocket motors, which were previously used by the Canadian Air Force on CF-18 fighters.
The U.S.-led UDCG comprises over 50 countries, including all 31 NATO members, and meets regularly to coordinate military aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
The U.S. government will announce an additional $275 million in ammunition and artillery for Ukraine in the coming days, two U.S. officials told the Associated Press (AP) on the condition of anonymity.
A number of countries backed Germany's initiative to find air defense equipment for Kyiv at the 22nd Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on May 20.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin described the ongoing defense against the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast as a "hard and dangerous fight."
The next Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) will occur on May 20.
Ukraine is planning to discuss how to overcome problems that accumulated over the past six months while waiting for the passing of the U.S. aid package at the next Ramstein summit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on April 25.
