Latest news with #UkraineContactGroup
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine relying on increased weapons production abroad
The Ukrainian government is relying on increased production in collaboration with European partners for the supply of weapons and ammunition, the country's defence minister said on Wednesday. Rustem Umerov said there is also interest in having Ukrainian arms companies manufacture newly developed systems outside the country. He made his comments after a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group - also known as the Ramstein Group - in Brussels. These weapons should be delivered to Ukraine for the duration of the war, he added. Umerov, who reported on the meeting's outcomes together with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and the British Secretary of Defence John Healey, said: "We will build drones, missiles, ammunition and other weapons together. Ukrainian drones have changed the battlefield. And now they will change how Ramstein countries prepare for future threats." He added that the joint production represents a strategic shift. Pistorius had already promised increased efforts for more air defence systems and electromagnetic warfare before the meeting, namely protection and disruption of communication and weapon deployments. Other countries are participating in these initiatives. Healey condemned the ongoing Russian attacks on cities and civilians in Ukraine despite peace efforts: "Ukraine, the United States, all of us here are calling for a ceasefire. We are for peace. Putin continues the war, so the work of this contact group becomes even more important. We must step up. We must never step back."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pistorius: Allies to further strengthen Ukraine's military defence
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday said that allies are ready to further strengthen Ukraine's military defence. Pistorius announced he is to relaunch an international support initiative for Kiev's air defence, as he arrived at a meeting of the so-called Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels. The German minister, who co-chairs the meeting, also said that Belgium, Estonia, Italy, Sweden and Turkey are to join a group of countries supporting the expansion of Ukraine's electromagnetic combat capabilities. This involves securing Ukrainian communications, reconnaissance and disruption of Russian communications, as well as drone defence. "It is obvious, every day Russia continues to attack Ukraine on a massive scale from the air, the number of drone attacks and attacks with cruise missiles is immense. Again and again, every day, innocent Ukrainians die or are injured in these attacks," said Pistorius.
Russia Today
20-04-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Germany announces new military aid package for Ukraine
Germany has announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine, which includes armored vehicles, air-defense rockets, and howitzers, among other weaponry. Earlier this month, incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz indicated that he might break Berlin's self-imposed taboo on providing Kiev with long-range rockets – a remark that drew a stern warning from Moscow. On Thursday, the German government published an updated list of arms and military equipment it has shipped to Ukraine. According to the statement, 'in total, the Federal Republic of Germany has so far provided or committed for future years military assistance with a value of approximately 28 billion euro,' with around €5.2 billion ($5.9 billion) worth of supplies coming from the German military's own stocks. Additionally, 'more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received military training in Germany' since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Berlin estimated. The latest batch encompasses a number of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP), ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks as well as Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and missiles for IRIS-T SLM air-defense systems. Berlin also supplied Kiev with several Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers, 155mm and 122mm artillery rounds, reconnaissance and strike drones, as well as man-portable anti-tank weapons and assault a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced plans to donate military equipment to Ukraine in 2025. The donation will include four IRIS-T air defense systems, 300 guided missiles, 100 ground surveillance radars, 100,000 artillery rounds, 300 reconnaissance drones, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks, and 120 portable anti-aircraft missile systems. Speaking to outlet ARD last Sunday, Merz, who is expected to be officially named chancellor on May 6, hinted that he could deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The Taurus has a range of 500km. Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly turned down Kiev's requests for the rockets, arguing that they could lead to a dangerous escalation of the conflict. Matthias Miersch, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is currently in the process of forming a coalition government with Merz's Christian Democrats, expressed hope on Wednesday that the incoming chancellor, 'once fully informed by [intelligence] agencies, will reassess the issue clearly.' In response to Merz's remark, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that any cruise missile attack on Russian facilities or critical transport infrastructure requiring Bundeswehr assistance would be seen as direct German involvement in military operations.
Russia Today
20-04-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Germany announces new military aid package to Ukraine
Germany has announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine, which includes armored vehicles, air-defense rockets, and howitzers, among other weaponry. Earlier this month, incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz indicated that he might break Berlin's self-imposed taboo on providing Kiev with long-range rockets – a remark that drew a stern warning from Moscow. On Thursday, the German government published an updated list of arms and military equipment it shipped to Ukraine. The latest batch encompasses a number of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP), ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks as well as Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and missiles for IRIS-T SLM air-defense systems. On top of that, Berlin supplied Kiev with several Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers, 155mm and 122mm artillery rounds, reconnaissance and strike drones, as well as man-portable anti-tank weapons and assault rifles. According to the statement, 'in total, the Federal Republic of Germany has so far provided or committed for future years military assistance with a value of approximately 28 billion euro,' with around €5.2 billion ($5.9 billion) worth of supplies coming from the German military's own stocks. Additionally, 'more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received military training in Germany' since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Berlin estimated. At a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced plans to donate military equipment to Ukraine in 2025. The donation will include four IRIS-T air defense systems, 300 guided missiles, 100 ground surveillance radars, 100,000 artillery rounds, 300 reconnaissance drones, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks, and 120 portable anti-aircraft missile systems. Speaking to outlet ARD last Sunday, Merz, who is expected to be officially named chancellor on May 6, hinted that he could deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The Taurus has a range of 500km. Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly turned down Kiev's requests for the rockets, arguing that they could lead to a dangerous escalation of the conflict. Matthias Miersch, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is currently in the process of forming a coalition government with Merz's Christian Democrats, expressed hope on Wednesday that the incoming chancellor, 'once fully informed by [intelligence] agencies, will reassess the issue clearly.' In response to Merz's remark, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that any cruise missile attack on Russian facilities or critical transport infrastructure requiring Bundeswehr assistance would be seen as direct German involvement in military operations.
Euronews
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
UK and Germany take over chairmanship of Ukraine Contact Group
ADVERTISEMENT With the Trump administration backing the US away from its full-fledged support of Ukraine, Germany and the UK have now taken over the chairmanship of the Ukraine Contact Group, originally set up and chaired by former US President Joe Biden. At a meeting this Friday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, a total of 40 countries will discuss military support for Ukraine. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth will only appear digitally, but according to his German counterpart Boris Pistorius, the US will be represented by an in-person delegation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be present. Speaking as the delegates convened, Pistorius gave his take on the current situation in Ukraine. "Despite all hopes, which the American President also repeatedly emphasises, Putin continues to attack Ukraine unabated and is increasingly accepting a greater number of civilian casualties, not only condoning them, but probably deliberately," he said. He added that Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure are increasing, with no recognisable decrease in hostilities on Putin's part despite ongoing ceasefire talks. "He accepts the deaths of civilians and children, including children, such as recently in the Ukrainian industrial town of Kryvyi Rih, and he doesn't seem to care," Pistorius said. "It is absolutely clear to me that we therefore still need a militarily strong Ukraine, and it needs our support." Announcement of further military support Following the adoption of the debt-financed financial package last month, the German Bundestag's Budget Committee has made a further €3 billion available to Ukraine. These additional funds will be invested in further air defence systems of different ranges and guided missiles, ammunition and spare parts. Among the supplies are four IRIS-T air defence systems, including 300 guided missiles, 300 reconnaissance drones, 120 MANPADS, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 5 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks, 14 artillery systems, 100 ground surveillance radars, 30 PATRIOT guided missiles, and an additional 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition. Ukrainian soldiers repair a Leopard 2 tank in Zaporizhzhya region, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Andriy Andriyenko/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved. Boosting the Bundeswehr In his remarks on Friday morning, Pistorius also mentioned the recently concluded coalition agreement between Germany's Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, establishing a new government after the recent federal elections. According to Pistorius, Germany is making a turnaround. "With this agreement, we are setting the course for a strong Bundeswehr," he said. "This is extremely important and therefore also for our security in Germany and Europe. Because nobody can ignore one realisation: We are at the beginning of a new era and we will have to prove ourselves in the coming years. We will have to prove ourselves." However, Pistorius cautioned that everything depends on Europe "becoming capable of deterrence and defence, and doing so in a cohesive manner and in a correspondingly short time". "We will be spending a lot of money on this. That alone is historic, and we will ensure that this money is invested quickly, efficiently and wisely. We are optimising the structure of the Bundeswehr. With a new military service, we will ensure the growth and sustainability of the troops." The reinstatement of compulsory military service, which was suspended in 2011, is not part of the German government's coalition agreement. Instead, the incoming government is planning the "Swedish model" of voluntary service. ADVERTISEMENT In order to combat the shortage of personnel, Pistorius said, Germany needs to make the Bundeswehr more attractive. "This is both a prerequisite and a consequence," he said. "And we will de-bureaucratise and speed up procurement and planning as well as infrastructure expansion. That is also a clearly stated goal for this legislative period."
