Ramstein hosted another round of discussions about the support of Ukraine with last attendance by Secretary Austin

Author: by editorial staff

On December 11, 2024, the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Jana Černochová and her Slovak counterpart Robert Kaliňák signed a bilateral Declaration on the Joint Commitment to Protect the Airspace of the Slovak Republic.

The Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) met in the Ramstein Air Base, for the last time chaired by United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin. The Czech Republic was represented by Defence Minister Jana Černochová, who informed the Allies about current deliveries of ammunition to the Ukrainian battlefield and other forms of support.

Formed in 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ramstein Group associates over 50 states, including NATO nations and EU member states. The UDCG regular sessions are meant to ensure a continuous and effective flow of assistance. In personal attendance of Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, the UDCG again discussed Kyiv’s urgent needs and further steps of so-called capability coalitions in support of the building of Armed Forces of Ukraine and its transition to western standards.

“Ukraine needs our help more than ever before. The Czech Republic continues to focus primarily on the supplies of large calibre ammunition,” Defence Minister Jana Černochová said in conclusion of the meeting. In 2024, the Czech Republic delivered to Kyiv some 1.5 million rounds of large calibre ammunition, of which one third were calibre 155 mm. According to the Minister, the Czech Republic seeks to continue the supplies throughout 2025.

“While the supplies represent a huge logistic challenge, they work well. We all realise the critically of military assistance, especially at this time, which is key for the future development in Ukraine,” she said.

The Czech Republic also pursues different strands to the assistance – for instance the training of Ukrainian military personnel. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Czech Republic has trained almost 8 thousand Ukrainian personnel with specific focus on training of mechanised forces and military specialists. The training takes place in the Libavá Military Training Area and in Poland. Czech military training teams will be newly involved in training in Germany.

As Secretary Austin will end his tenure as part of the Biden Administration on January 20, Defence Minister Černochová thanked him for his outstanding leadership of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group and for the excellent Czech-American defence cooperation.