NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announces a meeting in Ramstein this week

According to an official statement from NATO, the alliance secretary-general, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian Defence Minister Mr. Oleksiy Reznikov at the Ramstein Air Base on 20 January as part of a meeting of the Contact Group on Defence Issues in Ukraine.  

The alliance added that the central issue of the meeting, which US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will chair, will be the war in Ukraine and related security problems faced by NATO members and partners.

What can be expected from this meeting?

Considering recent developments and the fundamentally new level of support for Ukraine increased. As we wrote about earlier, it was demonstrated by the UK and France. We can expect a transformation or further military support that Ukraine needs. 

This is particularly evident in recent days, with the world’s attention focused on the tragic events in the city of Dnipro following the strike on a residential house by a Russian X-22 missile. So far, according to official statements from the Office of the President of Ukraine, there have been 44 civilian casualties as a result of the missile strike.

New Year – new rules

The first meeting as early as 2023 at Ramstein Air Base could mark a new transition and the creation of new “game rules.” The global preconditions for this are already in place, such as the transfer of Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine and the announcement by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the transfer of a squadron of domestically produced tanks, Challenger 2. 

Shortly, we will see an increase in deliveries of more advanced weapons to Ukraine, notably an addition to the arsenal of defense missile and anti-aircraft systems.