As host, Lloyd Austin has the right to open Ukraine Contact Group meetings. The meetings are better known as the “Ramstein Format,” because Ukraine’s supporters met for the first time a year ago at the US Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate to better coordinate what Kiev needs to defend itself against Russia’s attack. Now, unsurprisingly, the US Secretary of Defense draws a positive balance.
Ukraine continues to fight bravely to defend its people, sovereignty and freedom, and members of this forum have supported this with more than 50 billion euros, praised Austin. Nevertheless, the following applies: “Ukraine urgently needs our help.” For the eleventh meeting, which will also be attended by high-ranking military officials, he names three priorities: anti-aircraft, ammunition and so-called enableri.e. military support forces for transport, logistics or medical care.
The most extensive help comes from the USA
Already on Wednesday the Southgerman newspaper reported that Germany Ukraine a second Iris-T SLMsystem have handed over. It is considered to be extremely efficient in deterring missiles, protecting civilians and critical infrastructure. have also arrived patriot– Batteries from Germany, the USA and the Netherlands. Austin speaks at length about the 36th US package worth 300 million euros: it includes ammunition for the rocket launcher artillery systems Himars, shells with a diameter of 105 and 155 millimeters and anti-tank mines. This increases US military aid to Ukraine to more than 32 billion euros.
This number is impressive, but calls for a reality check. More than half of the support provided has come from the Biden administration, which is persistently urging its partners to do more. But in Western Europe there is a lack of capacity in the armaments industry. In addition to the 31 NATO members, twenty other countries are taking part in the meeting – such as Australia, Japan and South Korea.
However, Austin’s statement that the contact group is “more coherent and global” than ever in its fight against “Russia’s aggression and deception” does not quite fit with the support that Moscow receives from China, for example. President Vladimir Putin is not as isolated as one would like at the air base.
Pistorius goes to the “tank lunch”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasizes the value of the Ramstein meeting: behind closed doors, the Ukrainians report what they need and where there are supply problems – and the partners try to coordinate the deliveries as best as possible. This is crucial, especially before the upcoming spring offensive. So Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is meeting at noon with Oleksij Resnikow from the Ukraine and Mariusz Blaczcak from Poland to discuss the promised battle tanks of the type leopard 2 to speak. Berlin has already delivered 18 piecesDenmark and the Netherlands have now announced that they also want to deliver 14 copies at the beginning of 2024.
Austin and Stoltenberg emphasize the importance of keeping the military equipment that has already been delivered operational. Pistorius also talks about “perseverance” when he appears in front of the press in the afternoon. With it leopard– Tanks that were damaged in the Ukraine war can return to the front more quickly if they are repaired in Poland from the end of May. He agreed to set up a repair center with Resnikow and Blaczcak. For the “fair distribution” of the annual costs of 150 to 200 million euros, a fund solution was agreed, says the SPD politician.
Pistorius had already pointed out on ZDF on Thursday that it had to be clarified how the expensive “repair hubs” for the infantry fighting vehicle martenthe leopards and the Panzerhaubitze 2000 are financed. The howitzer repair center in Slovakia is finally up and running after a long dispute over customs issues, he said. For the marten A hub is created in Romania.
Austin uses the final press conference to address an uncomfortable topic: the US classified documents that Private Jack T. posted online. He takes the leak “very seriously,” he says, emphasizing that he is impressed by the solidarity of the allies: “We will not allow anything to break up our unity.” Austin also announces that “in the next few weeks” the US abrams-Main battle tanks will be transported to Europe so that Ukrainian soldiers can be trained on them in Grafenwoehr, Bavaria.
Contrary to Ukraine’s hopes, no decision on the surrender of Western fighter jets is in sight in Ramstein. Deliveries by alliance partners must be discussed further, says NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. He came straight from Kiev, where President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had told him that Ukraine also needed Western-style aircraft.
Stoltenberg currently considers the discussion about further arms deliveries to be more important than plans to join NATO: “Now the main thing is for Ukraine to win.” The day before he had invited Zelensky to the next summit of the defense alliance in Vilnius and declared: “Ukraine is entitled to a place in NATO.”