Ukraine Wants an Additional $20 Billion from Its Allies for Weapons – Reuters
Ukraine is working to secure an additional $20 billion in military aid from its allies, which is intended to supplement the funding amounts previously announced.
This was stated by Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov during a joint press conference with the Dutch defense minister. Kyiv plans to formally raise this issue at the upcoming meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense in the “Ramstein” format, which brings together more than 50 countries.
According to the head of the Defense Ministry, of the approximately $40 billion previously pledged by partners, about $24 billion has been scheduled for delivery. In addition to increased funding, the Ukrainian side seeks to shift the focus of the aid to enhance its effectiveness. The key priorities identified are long-range artillery, air defense systems, investments in NATO’s PURL initiative, and domestically produced drones. Mykhailo Fedorov emphasized that the current period represents an important “window of opportunity” to strengthen support, as the advance of the occupying forces on the front lines has slowed due to successful strikes by Ukrainian drones against Russian logistics and supply lines.
Source: Reuters.
Ukraine and NATO agreed on key defense priorities ahead of the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. During the coordination meeting, the parties focused on strengthening air defense, supplying ammunition, and expanding the production of Ukrainian drones.
Fedorov noted on Telegram that among the key priorities for cooperation are: partner contributions to the PURL program; the supply of PAC-3 missiles through the JUMPSTART mechanism to strengthen anti-ballistic capabilities; long-range shells under the Czech Initiative; and funding for the production of Ukrainian drones.
The next meeting of the Contact Group in the “Ramstein” format is scheduled for June. In addition, Ukraine plans to hold a closed-door meeting of deputy ministers to discuss the PURL mechanism. This will be the thirty-fifth meeting of the Ramstein-format Contact Group on Ukrainian Defense Issues.
