U.S. At Ramstein: Allies Must Be Prepared For Ukraine To Need Support For Months And Years To Come

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The U.S. official made the statement at the beginning of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting (otherwise known as Ramstein), according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

“As President Trump has stated, our goal is lasting peace, and we are supporting every effort in that direction. From the standpoint of the Department of War, however, we cannot predict when this tragic war will end. As you all well know, Russia is reconstituting its forces and its defense-industrial capacity. We must be prepared for a protracted conflict and for Ukraine's reequipments to persist in months and years ahead,” Colby said.

We must be prepared for other potential unforeseen situations. This reality makes assistance from Europe to Ukraine even more important, alongside accelerating rearmament and reindustrialization, Colby said.

In the his view, the priority should be to continue and increase the provision of Ukraine's urgent battlefield needs through the PURL initiative.

“The continued flow of ammunition and critical capabilities is effective. It remains essential to enable Ukrainian forces to hold the front line and deny further Russian advances,” he stressed.

At the same time, Colby said, Europe should begin planning now for sustained procurement that will support both Ukraine's long-term force regeneration and its own defense needs. The United States, as an Ally, must ensure that European investments in the defense-industrial base are integrated with and complement American investments. The Under Secretary emphasized the need to plan and implement investments on the basis of military effectiveness.

“In this frame, support for Ukraine contributes to Europe's security by helping to rebuild Europe's military strength and industrial capacity,” Colby noted.

He assured that the United States svg is ready to continue supporting these efforts. Through the Jumpstart program, the United States enables Allies and partners to procure capabilities for Ukraine, including air defense interceptors.

“Resourcing Ukraine's defense, expanding production capacity, and building the forces and industrial base that Europe will need for the generation ahead – these actions demonstrate what allied-led defense looks like in practice, strengthening the credible deterrence that we are all pursuing as 'NATO 3.0.' We are confident that our allies can and will lead in supporting Ukraine's self-defense and that this endeavor is highly correlating with Ukraine's own battlefield success,” Colby said.

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He welcomed the fact that European Allies are taking a leading role in providing for their own defense and are providing the bulk of support for Ukraine. According to him, this is“producing tangible results,” including the uninterrupted supply of U.S.-made weapons through the PURL initiative.

“Europe's greater assumption of responsibility for its own defense is fully consistent with a strong and viable Ukrainian defense,” the Under Secretary stressed.

As reported, the 36th meeting of the Contact Group is being held virtually. Opening remarks were delivered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, UK Secretary of State for Defense Wes Streeting, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara, and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby.

Read also: Pistorius: Germany to boost Ukraine's air defenses with more missile

Ahead of the Ramstein-format meeting, Ukraine submitted to NATO a list of urgent needs for air and missile defense systems.

Photo via NATO

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