Ramstein meeting; Reflecting concerns from the Trump era

According to RCO News Agency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who went to the American Ramstein base in Germany to participate in the meeting of his country’s allies, said: “We have come so far that it would be crazy to drop the ball now and join the coalitions.” “Let’s not continue the defense we have created.”

“No matter what’s going on in the world, everyone just wants to be sure that their country won’t be wiped off the map,” he added.

Also, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who was present at the meeting, officially announced the latest $500 million security assistance program, which includes missiles for fighters, support equipment for F-16 fighters, armored bridge systems and small arms and ammunition to It will be Ukraine.

The weapons are funded through a presidential authorization, meaning they can be taken directly from US stockpiles, and the Pentagon is working to get them to Ukraine before the end of the month.

Ukraine is in the middle of the second attack on the “Kursk” region located in the territory of Russia, and at the same time, it is facing a barrage of long-range missiles and continuous Russian advances. Both sides are looking to put themselves in the strongest position for possible negotiations before the official inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.

According to the Associated Press, Zelensky called the Kursk offensive “one of the biggest victories” that cost Russia and North Korea, which he claimed sent thousands of troops to help Russia in Kursk. Zelensky claimed that the attack resulted in 4,000 North Korean casualties, while US estimates put the number at less than 1,200.

The president of Ukraine also said once again that Ukraine will need air defense systems and ammunition to counter Russian missile attacks. Meanwhile, the German Ministry of Defense reported that Germany will supply Kiev with nearly 50 guided missiles for the IRIS-T air defense systems.

At the same time, the head of the Pentagon said in the gathering of about 50 member countries that have gathered for the last three years to coordinate arms and military support for Ukraine: “If Putin swallows Ukraine, his appetite will increase.”

In this meeting, Germany also reacted to Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric.

In recent days, Trump has threatened to use military means to seize Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark – a member of NATO – if necessary. Such a move would upset all the norms of the historic NATO alliance and would likely oblige members to defend Denmark because of US aggression.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called Trump’s remarks “diplomatically astonishing”.

He said: “Unions are unions, to remain united.” Regardless of who rules the countries. “I am quite optimistic that such statements will not really affect US policy after January 20.”

There are also questions about whether there will be a future meeting with Ukraine’s 50-member defense contact group. It is also possible that the group will take a new shape under the watch of one of its main European contributors, such as Germany.

In this regard, the German Minister of Defense said: “If the United States does not return to the negotiating table to help Ukraine, Germany and several other European countries are considering options.”

Pistorius said he plans to travel to the United States shortly after Trump’s inauguration to meet with his new counterpart to discuss the issue.

Following that, Zelensky said: “It is clear that a new season for Europe and the whole world will begin in just 11 days. When we will have to cooperate even more, rely on each other even more and achieve greater results together.”

The US Defense Minister emphasized in this security meeting: “Withdrawal will only be incentives for more imperialist aggressions.” And if we flip, you can count on Putin to push harder and punch harder. Ukraine’s survival is at stake, but so is the security of Europe, the United States, and the world.”

Road map of military cooperation with Ukraine

At the same time, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) reported that in today’s “Rammstein” meeting, eight countries approved the roadmap for defense cooperation with Ukraine until 2027. The final agreement to finalize these roadmaps was made on July 13, 2024, after the NATO summer meeting.

“Given these capability goals for 2027, our nations plan to work closely with Ukraine to identify how to meet these criteria, between wartime needs and Ukraine’s future force, through financial assistance,” the Pentagon statement said. The relevant national, purchases and investments should create a balance and explain the effort to expand the capacity of the defense industrial base, including by using the production capabilities and maintaining the domestic defense industries of Ukraine.

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