27th Ramstein: Zelenskyy sets priorities on air defense, new military support and beyond
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
During the 27th “Ramstein” meeting, a number of issues will be discussed, including air defense (AD), the strengthening of Ukraine’s defense industrial complex, among others, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, during a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
According to the president:
On Thursday, April 10, within the framework of the Coalition of the Determined, the deployment of military contingents to Ukraine will be discussed;
On Friday, April 11, at the Ramstein meeting, pressing issues will be addressed, including Patriot air defense systems (ADS), additional defense packages, and the readiness of countries to open factories or production lines for manufacturing armaments on Ukrainian territory.
He also confirmed that Germany and Britain had informed Kyiv that the United States might not be present during the “Ramstein” meeting.
Ramstein meeting
The Ramstein meeting is a format of the meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which brings together representatives from dozens of countries that support Kyiv in its war against Russia. These meetings were initiated after the outbreak of the full-scale war and in the German city of Ramstein, and they are aimed at coordinating military assistance, discussing the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and ensuring long-term security support.
Recently, Defense News reported that Pentagon Chief Pete Hegset would not participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting scheduled for April 11. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in turn, assured that Washington would not cease its military aid to Ukraine despite Hegset’s decision not to attend the Ramstein meeting.
