Zelenskyy may arrive in person: what Ukraine can expect from the new Ramstein meeting and what issues will be in the spotlight

On September 6, the countries that make up the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) will meet again in Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the 24th meeting in the Ramstein format.

Traditionally, the focus of the partners' attention will be on strengthening Ukraine's air defense, but the head of state will also raise another very important issue: lifting the restrictions imposed by the allies on the use of Western weapons to hit targets in Russian rear. OBOZ.UA analyzed what Ukraine can expect from the next Ramstein.

Zelensky at the Ramstein meeting: why is the president going to Germany?

The fact that Zelenskyy is expected to attend the Ramstein meeting on September 6 was reported, in particular, by Spiegel.

The need for the president's personal participation in a meeting of the coalition that has united more than 50 countries to help Ukraine is due to several factors. First, Zelenskyy wants to personally ask his partners to continue supplying weapons to repel the Russian invasion. The supply of long-range missiles and additional air defense systems is a particularly acute question today.

In order to convince his partners, Spiegel notes that Zelenskyy will personally tell them how serious the situation at the front is.

At the same time, the publication suggests that the visit of the Ukrainian president will make the meeting "more political."

In addition to Zelenskyy, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will take part in the Ramstein meeting. The day before, on September 5, he met with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius, and the head of Ukraine's defense ministry also visited the United States.

According to Spiegel, during the meeting, Pistorius and Umerov were to discuss whether Berlin would be able to assemble additional arms packages in the coming months despite the situation with Germany's budget.

The main priority is protecting Ukrainian skies

Strengthening Ukraine's air defense will be one of the main topics of the next meeting in the Ramstein format. This issue has become particularly acute after Russia's recent brutal massive strikes on Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Poltava.

The fact that Russia is attacking civilians and infrastructure without even hiding the fact that it is doing so deliberately has shocked the world again. Thus, US President Joe Biden called the latest attacks "Putin's outrageous attempts to break the will of a free people" and promised that the US would continue to "stand with the Ukrainians, including by providing air defense systems and whatever is needed to protect the country."

EU Foreign Policy Spokesperson Peter Stano also said that the attacks on civilians are "another targeted bloodshed" and evidence that Russia seeks to "cause the highest possible loss of life and inflict large-scale devastation" in Ukraine as possible. He emphasized that the European Union is not abandoning its course of strengthening military support, including the transfer of air defense systems and ammunition. After all, "these deliveries strengthen Ukrainian self-defence and save innocent lives."

In particular, Germany has announced its intention to transfer additional air defense systems to Ukraine. According to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the government has ordered 17 IRIS-T systems of various ranges from the industry. The first systems are to be delivered this year, the rest - in 2025.

"This is another proof that Germany's support for Ukraine is not weakening. We have planned ahead, signed defense contracts and secured funding in time so that Ukraine can continue to rely on us fully," Scholz said while visiting the Todendorf military base where Ukrainian troops are being trained.

Meanwhile, the UK is preparing to provide the Ukrainian Defense Forces with 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to strengthen its air defense. The total value of the aid, which will help protect Ukraine from Russian missile and drone attacks, is £162 million ($213 million).

The package will be announced at the Ramstein September 6 meeting by British Defense Secretary John Healey.

"At the 24th meeting of the group, the Secretary of Defense will voice Britain's unwavering commitment to Ukraine and call on allies to continue to supply Ukraine with vital equipment," the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The British-made LMM missiles are versatile and can be launched from a variety of platforms on land, sea and air. The first batch of weapons is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2024.

Strikes deep in Russia: Ukraine will ask to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons

The issue of lifting the restrictions imposed by our partners on the use of Western long-range weapons to strike military targets deep in Russia is also extremely important for Ukraine. Zelenskyy is expected to address the partners with a corresponding call.

On the eve of the meeting, the head of state named four states on which the decision on this issue actually depends. These are the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, which are members of the Ramstein coalition.

Washington seems not ready to lift the restrictions yet. As White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby noted on September 5, despite the fact that the United States condemns Russian attacks and reserves Ukraine's right to defend itself, it is more "focused" on discussing strengthening air defense. The policy on long-range strikes inside Russia and on Russian territory remains unchanged.

"I also think it's important to point out that 90% of the aircraft that Russia uses for guided bombs and long-range strikes, we estimate that 90% of them are located outside of 300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, deep inside Russia. So the argument that you just give them ATACMS and say, 'Okay,' that they will be able to operate and hit most of the Russian aircraft and air bases that are actually used to strike them is not true, it's a misconception," Kirby said without mentioning that Russia began moving its aircraft away from Ukraine not long ago, at a time when Kyiv was unsuccessfully seeking permission from the White House to use American weapons to hit military airfields in Russia.

At the same time, before the Ramstein, Ukrainian Defense Minister Umerov went on a small "tour" and visited the United States, Germany, France, and Britain, which are capable of resolving the issue of a ban on strikes on Russian territory. In all four countries, the Ukrainian defense minister held talks with his counterparts. It will be clear today whether he succeeded in convincing his partners to at least ease the restrictions, if not to cancel them.

Earlier, the Pentagon voiced its stance on ATACMS strikes on targets in Russia. It is believed that 90% of the airfields from which Russian planes launch missiles at Ukraine are inaccessible to the long-range ATACMS missiles that the Ukrainian Defense Forces received from Washington. Therefore, the use of these weapons against Russian military targets, the Pentagon noted, does not have "sufficient strategic value."

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