Boycott lifted: US to join Ramstein meeting
Photo: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (Getty Images)
The United States will participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, known as the Ramstein meeting, which will take place in Brussels on April 11, AFP reports.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will attend the meeting remotely.
A Pentagon official told AFP on condition of anonymity that he plans to join the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on Friday, April 11, via video conference.
This statement came after reports of a possible boycott of the meeting by Hegseth. Both before and after his appointment as Defense Secretary, he repeatedly stated that, in his opinion, the money the United States spends to support Ukraine is mostly wasted.
The Ramstein meetings are regular meetings of representatives from Western nations, established after Russia's invasion in 2022 to coordinate military support for Ukraine.
US refuses to participate in Ramstein meeting
Earlier, Defense News reported that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth would not attend the Ramstein meeting of defense representatives from 50 countries to coordinate military support for Ukraine, scheduled for April 11 in Brussels. This would mark the first time the coalition meets without the US Secretary of Defense.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that the Pentagon was unlikely to send any senior officials typically accompanying the secretary on such trips.
However, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the US would not halt its military assistance to Ukraine despite Pete Hegseth's absence from the Ramstein meeting.
Ramstein meeting in Brussels
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined the agenda for the 27th Ramstein meeting on April 11.
According to the President, the meeting will address key issues, including the provision of Patriot air defense systems, additional defense packages, and the readiness of countries to open factories or arms production lines in Ukraine.
