Air defense, ammunition, and drones: advancing coordination with NATO ahead of the Ramstein-format meeting
Ukraine is cooperating with NATO to strengthen air defense, ensure ammunition supplies, and scale up the production of Ukrainian-made drones.
The focus is on solutions that align with Ukraine’s defense strategy and deliver tangible results on the battlefield.
These topics were discussed during a meeting in Kyiv between Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Air defense and PURL: key priorities for Ukraine
The main focus of the meeting was bolstering Ukraine’s air defense.
Mykhailo Fedorov thanked NATO and partner nations for their support in strengthening Ukraine’s air defense. The Minister of Defence also emphasized the importance of the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism that enables the rapid provision of critically needed weapons to Ukraine.
For Ukraine, it is one of the key instruments for protecting cities, critical infrastructure, and the civilian population from russian aerial attacks.
Ballistic missiles remain the key challenge
Ukraine is gaining the initiative across all warfare domains. In particular, on the ground, the Defence Forces are conducting operations to liberate occupied territories and have, for several consecutive months, been inflicting greater personnel losses on russian forces than the enemy can replace.
At the same time, ballistic missiles remain the primary challenge. Unable to prevail on the battlefield, russia continues to target critical infrastructure and civilian sites.
For this reason, ensuring access to Patriot missiles and developing new capabilities against ballistic threats remain key priorities.
Support expectations for the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting
During the meeting, the parties discussed plans for further support to Ukraine.
At the June Ramstein-format meeting, Ukraine expects partner contributions in support of its key defense priorities, including:
- contributions to the PURL initiative;
- deliveries of PAC-3 missiles through the JUMPSTART mechanism;
- extended-range shells through the ‘Czech initiative’;
- funding for Ukrainian-made drones.
Ukraine’s Minister of Defence thanked Mark Rutte for his role in coordinating Allied efforts ahead of the upcoming meeting, helping ensure its effectiveness.
Mutually beneficial cooperation with NATO
The parties also discussed expanding win-win cooperation between Ukraine and NATO. As part of these efforts, Ukraine is working to launch the UNITE – Brave NATO initiative in support of joint defense projects.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine will continue working with NATO and partners on solutions that strengthen Ukraine today while reinforcing the security of Allies.
As previously reported, the Ministry of Defence outlined the capabilities and advantages of PAC-3 missiles and explained why these interceptors are among the key elements of Ukraine’s air defense.