Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top U.S. military officials and representatives from more than 50 allied nations in Germany on Friday, as the United States announced an additional $250 million in security aid for Ukraine. The meeting, held at Ramstein Air Base, was aimed at securing further military support in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, addressing the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, noted that Ukraine is at a pivotal moment in its fight against Russian forces. Austin highlighted the current Ukrainian counteroffensive and the ongoing threat posed by Russian forces, particularly near the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in the Donbas region.
For the first time, President Zelenskyy attended the Ramstein meeting in person, using the platform to call for more long-range strike capabilities from the U.S. and its Western allies. He emphasized the importance of being able to hit targets deeper inside Russia, a request that the U.S. has so far resisted due to concerns about escalating the conflict.
“We need to have this long-range capability, not only on the divided territory of Ukraine but also on Russian territory,” Zelenskyy stated, urging that such measures could push Russia toward seeking peace.
The Ukrainian leader’s request for more advanced weaponry follows a surprise attack inside Russia’s Kursk region. While this operation has pressured Russian forces, President Vladimir Putin remains focused on capturing Pokrovsk, a vital transportation hub for Ukraine’s military.
Austin, in remarks to the media, warned that despite Ukraine’s recent successes, Russia remains determined. He reiterated that Moscow’s forces continue their aggressive push in areas like Pokrovsk, and recent airstrikes have renewed Zelenskyy’s calls for greater Western military support.
The U.S. and its allies, however, are focusing on bolstering Ukraine’s air defense and artillery capabilities. Discussions at the meeting also centered on replacing Ukraine’s aging Soviet-era S-300 air defense systems with more modern alternatives, as well as resourcing air-to-ground missiles for newly delivered F-16 fighter jets.
Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, stated that one option under consideration is the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), a long-range cruise missile. However, no decisions have been made on whether to provide this weapon to Ukraine.
“Anything that’s an air-to-ground weapon is always being looked at,” LaPlante said, stressing that longer-range strike capabilities remain a subject of discussion.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group has met multiple times since 2022 to coordinate military aid for Ukraine. Over the past two years, member nations have contributed more than $106 billion in security assistance, with the U.S. providing over $56 billion of that total.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Germany follows a similar meeting in Kyiv with U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, as Ukraine seeks to solidify American support before the upcoming U.S. presidential transition. The German government confirmed that Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also set to meet with Zelenskyy in Frankfurt later on Friday.