15th Ramstein meeting begins in Germany

Suspilne reported the information.

Defense Minister Umerov and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley have already arrived at the meeting, the outlet reports.

The new Ramstein was announced at the end of August, when Oleksii Reznikov was still the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. After Rustem Umerov was appointed as the new minister on September 6, the head of the US Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin, had a phone call with Umerov on September 11 to discuss new assistance to Ukraine and the agenda for the next Ramstein meeting.

The agenda for the September 19 meeting has not been disclosed at this time. However, it is highly likely that the discussions will revolve around the replenishment of Ukrainian artillery shell supplies, which have been consistently in short supply. Another point of discussion will likely involve replenishing stocks of air defense missiles, which are actively used against Russian aerial targets. Additionally, the meeting may touch upon the progress of training Ukrainian military personnel in NATO countries, particularly focusing on the training of Ukrainian pilots for the acquisition of F-16 fighter aircraft for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Discussions related to the provision of German Taurus missiles and American ATACMS to Ukraine may be difficult. For months now, Ukrainian diplomats have been trying to "break through" the arguments of the allies, who are in no hurry to provide Ukraine with these powerful long-range missiles.

• Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 14 meetings have already taken place in the Ramstein format between the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the military departments of Ukraine’s allies. On September 19, Ukraine will be represented for the first time by the new head of the Defense Ministry, Rustem Umerov.