Salm at Ramstein meeting: Allies must contribute to Ukraine's military assistance consistently and predictably

At today's virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein group, countries providing military aid to Ukraine received an overview of the developments on the battlefield, Ukraine's most critical capability needs, the work of capability coalitions, and new contributions from Allies. Estonia announced, in cooperation with Denmark, the arrival of patrol boats in Ukraine and the progress of the IT Coalition led by Estonia and Luxembourg.

"Ukraine's struggle for freedom can only be successful if Allies continue to support the Ukrainian people. For example, the patrol boats donated by Estonia in cooperation with Denmark, EML Risto and EML Roland, have arrived in Ukraine. They will play their part in Ukraine's path to victory, since one crucial part of it is the ability of Ukrainians to keep the maritime routes open for grain exports and to defend against attacks originating from the Black Sea," said Kusti Salm, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, who participated in the meeting.

"Estonia has decided to allocate 0.25% of our GDP to support Ukraine for the next four years. If every member of the Ramstein group did the same, Ukraine could win the war within the next year or two. At the meeting, we also reiterated our call to all Ramstein group countries to contribute to Ukraine's military assistance consistently and predictably," added Permanent Secretary Salm.

In addition, Estonia provided an overview of the activities of the IT Coalition, led by Estonia and Luxembourg, which includes 12 countries (Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom). The goal of the IT Coalition is to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence in establishing secure and NATO-standard ICT infrastructure, with the goal of enhancing Ukraine's combat capabilities.

Additional information: [email protected]

Photo: Kaitseministeeriumi kantsler Salm Ukraina kaitse kontaktgr… | Flickr