Head of Pentagon Opens Ramstein Meeting, Calls for Enhancing Ukraine's Air Defence

The 17th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting (Ramstein) has started in an online format with the participation of about 50 countries.

The meeting was opened by Lloyd Austin, Minister of Defence of the US, who had visited Ukraine at the beginning of this week.

He stated that both Ukraine and Israel are facing relentless foes out to annihilate them.

"And we see that Iran is fueling conflict in both Gaza and Ukraine by arming Hamas and Putin. Iran’s support for the Kremlin and Hamas harms Ukraine, stability in the Middle East, and the rules-based international order. So as Ukraine faces another winter of war, I urge this group to provide Ukraine with air-defense capabilities to protect its people," Austin said, stressing that the US is quite capable of continuing its strong support for Ukraine even as the US stands with Israel in its hour of need.

He noted that a few days prior to his visit to Kyiv, Putin’s forces had started a new barrage of missile attacks on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine trying to damage the Ukrainian power system.

"But I remain more confident than ever that the Ukrainian people will stay resilient in the face of hardship. That’s because they are fighting for their homes, for their families, and for their very future.

As we dig deep to support our partner, we must think creatively about how we can continue to meet Ukraine’s needs. The United States remains committed to doing our part," Austin assured the audience.

Earlier, the US Defence Ministry denied that since the beginning of Israel’s war against HAMAS, the supply of NATO standard ammunition requested by Ukraine has dropped by 30%.

On 20 November, US Defence Minister Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv. He announced a new military aid package for Ukraine for the sum of US$100 million, which included artillery projectiles and an additional HIMARS system.

Austin stated that the US Defence Ministry would continue working towards adopting additional financing of defence and Kyiv's other needs in the US Congress.