"We are preparing for Brussels," Zelensky said. According to the president, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is currently organizing the next meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group (UDCG).
The Netherlands will soon send Ukraine 25 YPR armored vehicles, the Dutch Defense Ministry reported after the Ramstein-format meeting in Brussels on Feb. 12.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the first time on Feb. 12 during the Ramstein-format meeting in Brussels.
The agenda includes ensuring a stable and timely supply of military aid in 2025, accelerating the delivery of critical weapons like air defense systems, aviation, and ammunition, and fostering joint projects with European partners.
"Our commitment is clear: NATO must be a stronger, more lethal force—not a diplomatic club. Time for allies to meet the moment," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
The U.K. is set to gather the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Feb. 12, taking over the role the U.S. had assumed at the start of the all-out war. With U.S. President Donald Trump pulling his country out of established international agreements and formats, it's now up
The U.S. plans to review the deployment of its troops around the world but is not going to send them to Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a press conference on Feb. 11.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Feb. 10-Feb. 16. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. This week’s key event is the 61st Munich
Pete Hegseth will "highlight the need for increased European leadership on security assistance to Ukraine" at the Ramstein-format summit in Brussels on Feb. 12, the Pentagon said.
Ukraine is actively preparing and expects important decisions to be made at the upcoming Ramstein meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said during a press conference on Feb. 7.
London will host the next Ramstein-format Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) summit in Brussels on Feb. 12, rather than the U.S., the U.K. Joint Delegation to NATO confirmed on Feb. 6.
Following Donald Trump's administration's takeover of the White House, the future format of Ramstein's meetings remained uncertain.
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.
