Ukraine will ask for additional $20 billion at Ramstein to consolidate its advantage over Russia - Politico

Ramstein meeting: Ukraine will ask for additional $20 billion

Ukraine wants to secure an additional $20 billion from its allies to consolidate its temporary advantage over Russia on the battlefield.

Politico reports this, citing a representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, according to Censor.NET.

Details

"Everyone can see that Russia is burning, and we want it to burn even more, but we need funding to do that," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The request for $20 billion will be announced on June 18 at the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein).

Sources say that this issue was raised by Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and other government officials during a series of meetings with representatives from Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Canada.

Each ally will be asked to contribute between $2 billion and $6 billion to reach the $20 billion target.

"It could be aid or a loan," the publication quotes the source as saying.

Partner countries have already pledged $38 billion in military aid this year. An additional $20 billion would bring Ukraine closer to the $60 billion bilateral aid target set by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The publication notes that if an additional $20 billion is allocated, Ukraine will use these funds for air defense, increased contributions to the PURL initiative, as well as the purchase of additional drones, ammunition, electronic warfare equipment, long-range weapons, and direct purchases from Ukrainian defense companies.

"The window of opportunity is closing. Russia is acting quickly and innovatively. And if we give it time to adapt again, we may lose our only real chance to end this war through genuine negotiations. And if Russia develops its own medium-range strike drones, it will be a disaster for us," the official said.