Members of the Ukrainian Defense Liaison Group (UDCG), chaired by the UK and Germany, will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss NATO ally President Donald Trump’s plans to provide arms to Ukraine.
The UDCG, also known as the Ramstein format, comes after Trump said delivery of weapons, including the Patriot air defense system, could arrive in Ukraine within days.
Trump said last week that he had sealed contracts with NATO allies that led to massive weapons delivery to Ukraine, including the Patriot System.
“We’re planning on sending Patriots to NATO, which NATO will distribute,” Trump told TV channel CBS News. The alliance will pay for the system, he added.
The US president, in partnership with NATO Chief Mark Latte, said the weapons will be paid by European allies and the initial delivery will arrive “within a few days.”
It is understood that European countries will move weapons collected from existing stockpiles or new stockpiles purchased from the US to Ukraine. Exchanges will be purchased from the US.
It is not yet clear whether the weapons were transferred to Ukraine. General Alexus Grinkeivic, NATO’s highest alliance commander, Europe, told the Associated Press on Thursday that preparations for weapon delivery were “ongoing.” NATO Matthew Whitaker’s US ambassador said he could not provide a time frame.
German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said Thursday that he is confident that Germany will soon reach an agreement with the US on the patriot industry.
The negotiations between the Defense Ministers were “specific” and their delivery was “a few days of issues, perhaps weeks,” Mertz said during his visit to London.
According to a DPA report on Thursday, Bundeswehr, a German army, will hand over two of the remaining nine Patriot systems and receive an exchange from the US. The move comes despite original plans to purchase two patriot systems from the US and deliver them directly to Ukraine.
Other systems can be delivered via Switzerland, and its Ministry of Defense announced Thursday that it had been notified by the US Department of Defense to “repeat delivery” of five previously ordered systems to support Ukraine.
A senior NATO official said the Alliance is coordinating the provision of additional military assistance, including ammunition and artillery fire, as Ukraine awaits the arrival of the patriot system.
Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky said on Saturday that his officials proposed a new peace talks to be held this week.
His announcement came when Russia struck Ukraine on a drone strike of around 300 people, according to Ukrainian officials. Moscow continues to escalate long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say this is likely to continue.