Pentagon tells what will be the focus of the “landmark” Ramstein meeting

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel from Washington to Germany for the 25th meeting of the Ramstein format. This meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense, scheduled for January 9, will be a “landmark” meeting.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Pentagon.

The US defense department noted that the meetings in the Ramstein format, which began to be held in April 2022, play “an important role in coordinating international support to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty from Russia's unprovoked aggression.”

The US Department of Defense called the upcoming 25th meeting a “landmark”.

It is noted that during the meeting, Austin will communicate with defense ministers of other coalition countries and senior military officials from around the world.

The Pentagon informed that the following will be discussed at Ramstein:

• Ukraine's immediate needs on the battlefield,

• long-term defense needs, and the important coordination that is carried out through coalitions of forces and means.

“The meeting will focus on the need to ensure the continued provision of key capabilities, including air defense systems, artillery munitions, and armored vehicles, as well as efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base,” the US Department of Defense said.

The meeting will determine a plan to support Ukraine until 2027

The Pentagon website also cited statements by “two senior officials” to media representatives on January 7 that Austin intends to bring together eight leaders of the coalition forces and the contact group at a meeting at Ramstein Air Force Base to develop a plan for Ukraine's defense capabilities to support the creation of a credible deterrent force by 2027.

The U.S. Department of Defense explained that in the overall Ramstein format group, there is a coalition steering group consisting of 8 capability coalitions. Each of them represents an aspect of Ukraine's military capabilities and is jointly led by at least two separate NATO countries.

“The leaders of these coalitions will need to endorse roadmaps that will set out the needs and goals for Ukraine's air force, armor, artillery, mine action, drones, integrated air and missile defense, information technology and maritime security through 2027. These roadmaps are intended to ensure that donors can plan for and support Ukraine sustainably into the future,” the Pentagon quoted a US defense official as saying.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 08/01/2025