At the meeting of the "Ramstein" contact group in Brussels, a "coalition of possibilities" was formed for the long-term protection of Ukraine and the deterrence of Russian aggression for decades.
This was announced by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on October 11.
Estonia and Luxembourg will lead a coalition aimed at supporting the Ukrainian IT infrastructure. Lithuania will help with demining, and the US will lead a coalition that will help Ukraine develop its own Air Force (Denmark and the Netherlands will be co-leaders of this coalition). The United States further promises to join other coalitions as they take shape in the coming weeks, particularly on armor and artillery.
Later, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraineclarified that there are already such coalitions:
- tank;
- CV-90 (these are Swedish infantry fighting vehicles);
- IT;
- from demining;
- F-16;
- Future Force.
As for military aid, Bulgaria promised, according to Austin, to transfer components for S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine. France undertook to transfer Caesar self-propelled artillery installations and accelerate their production. Over the next three years, Canada will invest half a billion dollars in armored vehicles for Ukraine.
Lithuania also announced that it would transfer to Ukraine two NASAMS air defense systems, 155-mm ammunition, electric generators, army jackets and clothing.
- On October 11, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels, where the 16th meeting in the Rammstein format took place. The Minister of Defense of Belgium said that her country will transfer several F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from 2025. Their number will depend on the "power increase" of the Belgian F-35s.
- Denmark promises to deliver the first batch of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine in the spring of 2024. In total, the country has to hand over 19 aircraft.