Western defence ministers meet to discuss providing Ukraine with arms
The UDCG — also known as the Ramstein format — comes after Trump said that arms deliveries, including the Patriot air defence systems, could arrive in Ukraine within days.
Trump last week said he sealed a deal with NATO allies that would lead to large-scale arms deliveries to Ukraine, including Patriot systems — regarded as one of the world's best for detecting and intercepting a wide range of oncoming air targets.
"We're going to be sending Patriots to NATO and then NATO will distribute that," Trump told US TV channel CBS News. The alliance would pay for the systems, he added.
The US president, speaking alongside NATO chief Mark Rutte, said the weapons would be paid for by European allies and that initial deliveries would arrive "within days".
It is understood that European nations will transfer the weapons — collected from existing stockpiles or new ones purchased from the US — to Ukraine. Replacements would be bought from the US.
It is not yet clear if weapons transfers to Ukraine have been made, with NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, telling AP on Thursday that preparations for the weapons delivery were "under way." US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said he could not provide a timeframe.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that he was confident Germany would soon reach an agreement with the US on the delivery of Patriots.
Negotiations between the defence ministers were "concrete" and their delivery was a "matter of days, maybe weeks", Merz said during a visit to London.
Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, will hand over two of its nine remaining Patriot systems and receive replacements from the US, according to a report by DPA on Thursday. This move comes despite original plans to purchase two Patriot systems from the US and deliver them directly to Ukraine.
Other systems could be delivered via Switzerland, whose defence ministry also announced on Thursday that it had been informed by the US Defence Department to "reprioritise the delivery" of five previously ordered systems to support Ukraine.
A senior NATO official stated that the alliance is coordinating the delivery of additional military support, including ammunition and artillery rounds, as Ukraine awaits the arrival of the Patriot systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that his officials have proposed a fresh round of peace talks to take place this week.
His announcement came as Russia struck Ukraine with some 300 drone strikes, according to Ukrainian officials. Moscow has continued to escalate its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, which analysts say are likely to continue.
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