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UK, Germany to host next Ramstein-format meeting on Oct. 15 at NATO headquarters

2 min read
UK, Germany to host next Ramstein-format meeting on Oct. 15 at NATO headquarters
Flags of Ukraine and NATO are seen in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 29, 2024. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The U.K. and Germany will convene the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting in the Ramstein format at NATO headquarters on Oct. 15, the alliance's press service announced.

The Ramstein format was created in March 2022 by the U.S. to coordinate international military support for Ukraine, bringing together over 50 countries.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, London and Berlin have assumed responsibility for leading the meetings, with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth even skipping one session.

The most recent gathering took place in London on Sept. 9.

The upcoming summit comes as Europe faces escalating Russian provocations, with countries such as Denmark and Poland urging Ukraine to help counter Moscow's growing drone threat. The official agenda has not been disclosed.

The meeting will also follow Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month, during which Trump promised to arrange direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

Those efforts faltered after Putin invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to Moscow, an offer Kyiv dismissed as impossible, while Russian missile strikes against Ukrainian cities persist.

Despite the diplomatic deadlock, Trump said on Sept. 23 that the U.S. would "continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them."

His administration has begun delivering arms to Ukraine under a new NATO-backed arrangement, with the first package approved on Sept. 16, including Patriot and HIMARS missiles.

Russia presses advance in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian supply lines
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Tim Zadorozhnyy

Reporter

Tim Zadorozhnyy is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations and the European Studies program at Lazarski University, offered in partnership with Coventry University. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa in 2022. After relocating to Warsaw, he spent a year and a half with the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, initially as a news anchor and later as managing editor. Tim is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

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