Air defense, ammo and training F-16 pilots in focus of Ukraine Defense Contact Group 

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reported this following the meeting, according to Ukrinform.

"We heard from the co-chairs of the F-16 coalition, (representatives of - ed.) Denmark and the Netherlands. They continue to develop a comprehensive training plan to help some very eager Ukrainian pilots learn to fly the fourth-generation aircraft," the Pentagon chief said.

He informed that during the meeting they discussed providing Ukraine with additional air defense capabilities and ammunition.

"I asked our allies to continue to carefully check what they have in their weapons stockpiles," Austin said.

In addition, according to him, the participants of  the 14th Ramstein meeting discussed increasing the production of ammunition for Ukraine within the framework of the EU initiative, as well as at the level of bilateral agreements.

“We also discussed plans to ramp up production at both the national level and the multinational level through the European Union's important initiative to produce more ammunition,” Austin said.

"Initiatives like this clearly demonstrate that the members of this Contact Group continue to meet Ukraine's immediate needs while working to ensure that Ukraine gets what it needs in the long term," the US Secretary of Defense added.

Earlier in the day, Lloyd Austin opened the online meeting and noted that the Ukrainian people "have shown profound resilience in the face of great brutality.  And Ukraine's forces continue to fight bravely to protect their fellow citizens and their country." 

"Ukraine's counteroffensive is a key moment in this tragic war. The Ukrainian Armed Forces took the initiative to regain control of their sovereign territory. But Russia's aggression against Ukraine has created a very unstable situation. Putin's war continues to claim horrific and bloody casualties. As I said, Ukraine's fight for freedom is a marathon, not a sprint. We have provided Ukraine with critical capabilities, such as air defense and ammunition, and we do not intend to withdraw our support," he said before the meeting.

The US Secretary of Defense emphasized that the Contact Group will continue to stand by Ukraine's defenders and provide Ukraine with "what it needs, and when it needs it."

"We will continue to provide training, equipment and support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to help build a capable and professional Ukrainian army that can defend itself now and deter aggression in the future," Austin added.

• The day before, Lloyd Austin spoke with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. The main topics of the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense on July 18 are air defense and ammunition supplies.

What is known about the Ramstein format meeting

Ramstein is a series of diplomatic meetings of senior defense officials from several dozen countries to synchronize and accelerate the provision of military weapons to Ukraine to counter a full-scale Russian invasion and to discuss support for Ukraine after the war.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 13 meetings have already taken place. After the last one, on June 15 Ukraine’s Defense Minister Reznikov said that Western partners had assured him that they would start training Ukrainian pilots and were going to create a ‘Bird Coalition.’

The coalition to train the Ukrainian Armed Forces on F-16s would be led by Denmark and the Netherlands. In total, the list of countries that have offered to train Ukrainian pilots includes: Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Poland.

• On July 17, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov over the phone. They discussed priorities for virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, which was expected to focus on Ukraine's near-term air defense and ammunition requirements.