NATO Allies To Unveil Plans for Ukraine up to 2027
Source: Newsweek
Published Jan 08, 2025 at 10:29 AM EST | Updated Jan 08, 2025 at 9:41 PM EST
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will create a plan to shore up Ukraine's military through to 2027 with Kyiv's key allies, including NATO countries, this week, U.S. defense officials said on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
Ukraine's future remains uncertain. Officials in Kyiv and across NATO alike wait with bated breath to see how incoming president Donald Trump will change Washington's provisions of military aid. The president-elect has said he will cut aid to Ukraine and move quickly to end the near three-year long full-scale war. Kyiv is heavily dependent on its allies to sustain its grinding war effort against Moscow. U.S. military aid accounts for roughly half of what Ukraine receives from its backers.
Officials in Kyiv and countries on NATO's eastern flank are concerned that a Trump-brokered ceasefire to Europe's largest land conflict since World War II could come at Ukraine's expense and that of the alliance countries close to Russia. Trump has said he has good relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
What to Know
Two senior U.S. defense officials told reporters on Tuesday that Austin will meet with leaders in charge of supporting various different parts of Ukraine's military. Many of Ukraine's backers, falling under what is known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, are due to meet at the U.S. military's Ramstein air base in western Germany on Thursday. Within the group, there are officials from across NATO in charge of more specific capabilities, known as coalitions. The officials will "map out Ukraine's defense capabilities in support of building a credible deterrent force through 2027," the Pentagon said.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/nato-plans-ukraine-2027-ramstein-contact-group-meeting-2011500