Ukraine's allies announce date for next Ramstein-format meeting

The next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format, is scheduled for 26 April and will be held via a video link.

Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren noted in her speech before the meeting of European defence ministers that "an important week is ahead", recalling that a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council was held on Friday, 19 April.

"Today, we have this meeting, and at the end of the week, there will be a meeting in the Ramstein format. So this is an important week. Everyone needs to step up their efforts," the minister said.

As it turned out, the Ramstein meeting was officially announced by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the end of last week after the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, but the news went largely unnoticed.

The Pentagon noted that the gathering would take place on 26 April, becoming the 21st meeting in an online format and the second anniversary of the first Ramstein meeting, when the US-led allies began coordinating efforts to provide military support to Ukraine.

Media reports suggest that the United States and other Western countries are possibly considering bringing the Ramstein format under NATO's auspices, given the possibility of an unpredictable Donald Trump winning the upcoming US presidential election.