US Defense Secretary urges Ramstein Group to “dig deep” on Ukraine support

After the meeting, Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder said that the lack of the US Congress approval of the additional aid to Ukraine impacts the Pentagon’s capacity to transfer weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and to maintain previously supplied armaments.

“Obviously, the current lack of funding has forced us to suspend the withdrawal of additional weapons from our stockpiles, given the consequences for our own combat readiness. And this, of course, prevents us from meeting Ukraine’s most urgent needs on the battlefield, including artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and air defense systems,” Ryder said, adding that it also hinders the maintenance of weapons and equipment provided to Ukraine earlier, Ukrinform reported.

Meanwhile, on 23 January, US lawmakers told Voice of America that the deal on border security in return for Republican votes to send multi-billion in aid to Ukraine is nearing completion but likely will not be announced this week.

The Secretary General detailed NATO’s efforts for boosting ammunition production and procurement, and for sustained support of Ukraine, including:

• purchasing up to 1,000 Patriot interceptor missiles through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA);
• the completion of contracts for about 220,000 155-millimeter artillery shells worth $1.2 billion through the NSPA, aiming to restock Allies’ arsenals and bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
• reaching an agreement to extend NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) into a multi-year program, addressing immediate needs and fostering long-term interoperability to safeguard Ukraine’s population, infrastructure, and military forces.

NATO inks $1.2 bn deal for 220,000 shells to resupply allies, Ukraine, but delivery could take years

Following the meeting, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Celeste Wallander, briefed reporters that Germany and Latvia will jointly lead the newly established armor and drone capability coalitions.

According to the Pentagon, the US and France are partnered “in leading the effort to bolster Ukraine’s artillery capability.” The US, in collaboration with Denmark and France, is co-leading the air force capability coalition and actively participating in the air defense capability coalition, which is led by Germany and France, among others

“Ukrainians are not asking us to fight for them. They are asking only for the tools to defend their country,” Wallander said, urging to continue the military support of Ukraine in 2024.

In his remarks after the Group’s meeting, Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder noted that the Ukraine Defense Contact Group’s security support surpassed $80 billion in two years.

Spain to train more Ukrainian soldiers

Before the Ramstein Format meeting, Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced that her country would reinforce the Ukrainian military training in anti-aircraft defense and underwater demining.

At the meeting, Robles praised the Group’s coalitions as good coordination tools for Ukraine’s long-term support and said that Spain is going to contribute to maritime security, field artillery, land anti-aircraft defense, information technologies, and demining coalitions.

The minister noted that Spain has already trained more than 3,500 Ukrainian troops and revealed the introduction of new specialized training modules for the Patriot anti-aircraft systems, NASAMS, Hawk, and underwater demining.

Canada donates boats, participates in armor, air force coalitions

Following the Ramstein meeting, Canadia’s National Defense Minister Bill Blair announced a donation of 10 Multirole Boats from Zodiac Hurricane Technologies, valued at approximately CAD 20 million ($14,9 million).

“Each boat will come with a sophisticated sensor, navigation, and communications system. This donation includes the provision of commercially contracted training for Ukrainian operators, as well as trailers and spare parts. The delivery of these boats with training is expected to be completed by late-spring 2024,” the Canadian Defense Ministry reported.